July 2nd 2014

C M Y K

www.morungexpress.com

The Morung Express

Dimapur VOL. IX ISSUE 179

“

www.morungexpress.com

Trinamool MP rape remark: Arrest demanded, wife apologises [ PAGE 8]

reflections

By Sandemo Ngullie

SBI Mokokchung renews pledge to serve people

Emma faces probe over maid ‘working illegally in Britain’

[ PAGE 2]

Japan takes historic post-war step

1

N

Vote on www.morungexpress.com SMS your answer to 9862574165 Do you think the Nagaland government is sincerely committed towards completing the FootHill Road project?

Yes

no

Others

Firing reported at border area DIMAPUR, JULY 1 (MExN): Firing was reported along the Dimapur-Karbi-Anglong (Assam-Nagaland) border on July 1. According to sources, sounds of gunfire were heard around afternoon near Dikoi. Atleast 7-8 rounds were fired, the sources said, while adding that the origin of the shots could not be ascertained.

It was the second such instance in two days. On June 30, around 10:00 am, indiscriminate firing was reported from the forest surrounding Dikoi. There was no report of injury or casualty on both occasions.

NSA spied upon BJP

C M Y K

WAsHINgTON, JULY 1 (IANs): America’s top spy agency was authorized by a US court in 2010 to carry out surveillance on the BJP along with five other political organizations across the globe. BJP figures in the list of foreign political parties along with Lebanon’s Amal, the Bolivarian Continental Coordinator of Venezuela, Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, Egyptian National Salvation Front and the Pakistan Peoples Party for whom the National Security Agency (NSA) had sought permission to carry out surveillance, says the document made public by The Washington Post on Monday.

The document lists the 193 foreign governments as well as foreign factions and other entities that were part of a 2010 certification approved by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. The list includes India. “These are the entities about which the NSA may conduct surveillance, for the purpose of gathering foreign intelligence,” the paper said, citing documents provided to it by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

It said each year a new certification must be approved by the court to permit such surveillance under Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act.

–C. S. Lewis

Maria Sharapova dumped out [ PAGE 12]

the rio years in perspective Dimapur | July 1

The Morung Express POLL QUESTIOn

Wednesday, July 2, 2014 12 pages Rs. 4

[ PAGE 9]

[ PAGE 11]

Morung Express news

“Whose way? nFHRCC or CSC?”

”

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream

C M Y K

eiphiu Rio who led the State of Nagaland as Chief Minister for the last more than 10 years—two full terms in office and the few years of his third term—relinquished office on May 23, 2014 to become a Lok Sabha Member of Parliament. Part of the BJP led NDA alliance, which stormed to power in Delhi, Rio gave up his chair in order to ‘play a larger role in Indian national politics’, as he himself described a few months ago when he first declared his intention to contest the Lok Sabha polls.

While he may have relinquished office as the CM and become an MP, Rio’s dominance and influence over State politics was enormous, if not unparalleled; therefore historians and commentators alike will assess ‘the Rio years’ and evaluate his performance on some of the key parameters such as on the Naga political issue, good governance and tackling corruption or his contribution towards peace, political stability and development in Nagaland.

As Consulting Editor, Morung Express, Along Longkumer puts it: “The premise behind doing a review of Rio as CM is to objectively assess how he has performed in the last more than ten years as the head of the government. What are his contributions, his successes or failures? How would one rate him on the leadership count? Was he really the

3 4

The highlight of then Chief Minister neiphiu Rio’s decade long tenure in power saw some big events and innovative development initiatives, drawing much media attention both within and outside nagaland. (Clockwise from top left) 1-Rio seen here during the Hornbill Festival, one of the high points of his tenure; 2-With ministerial colleagues during the inauguration of Peren District Headquarters, one among the several new districts created during his first term in office; 3- With the then Union Defence Minister AK Antony and other officials during the inauguration of Sainik School Punglwa; 4- Flagging off the distribution of tractors and power tillers under the CM Corpus Fund to commemorate ‘Year of Farmers’, one among several initiatives undertaken during his tenure (File Photos)

best CM ever? Or could he have done better?”

“He has charisma as a leader and he seems to be more open to new ideas and changes than his predecessors. But I wouldn’t like to compare him with others,” says young academician Venüsa Tünyi who is Assistant Professor of Logic/ Philosophy, University of Hyderabad. Venüsa be-

tUD issues 15 day ultimatum

DIMAPUR, JULY 1 (MExN): The Tenyimi Union Dimapur (TUD) has written to the Dimapur Deputy Commissioner urging for fulfillment of earlier demands made by the latter via an ultimatum dated May 28, 2014. The TUD memorandum dated May 28 had called for action against the “physical assault” of the Western Chakhesang Hoho President, “ill treatment” of the President and Vice President, Tenyimi Union Dimapur and the damage caused to their vehicles.

The TUD had alleged that the actions were committed by villagers from Aoyimkum on May 24.

The TUD on Monday reminded that thirty three days have passed since submission of the memorandum and lamented that none of their demands have been met. It stated that the TUD had agreed to keep its proposed rally, scheduled May 28, in abeyance in view of the Chief Minister’s request and in pursuance of discussions with the Nagaland state Home Minister and the Roads and Bridges Minister.

While expressing its desire that “everyone should live peacefully and cohesively,” the TUD however objected to the actions perpetrated against its leaders

2

and called for “punishment to all the culprits.”

The TUD demanded that a “collective fine” be imposed on Aoyimkum villagers and “befitting punishment” be meted out to the “village authority.” It asked for compensation of Rs 5,00,000 (5 Lakhs) for causing injury to the WCH President and a further compensation of Rs 20,00,000 (twenty Lakhs) for the damage caused to vehicles (2 Scorpios and 1 Maruti car) of the TUD leaders. The TUD called for a swift investigation into the matter, submission of a “water tight charge sheet without any loopholes” and denial of bail to the culprits. It further demanded action against “erring IRB personnel for dereliction of duty” and an “explanation from the SDO for providing false information. TUD also demanded that the Aoyimkum Village Council issue a “public apology.”

The TUD urged the Dimapur DC to ensure that its demands are met within 15 days, starting June 30, and that the action report be made public within the specified period. Failing this, it stated, would compel the TUD to resort to “any appropriate action or actions as deemed fit and shall not be responsible for the same.”

lieves that Rio, given his caliber, could have “certainly done much better.”

Senior educationist Dr. PS Lorin, Principal, Tetso College agrees that “with the resources Rio had and the length of his tenure, he could have and should have accomplished much more.” “He was CM during a time when India was progress-

ing economically…and should have positioned Nagaland to grasp that opportunity. I feel (that) just like Bihar was changed in such a short time, Nagaland was ripe for a leader of his stature to do the same here,” Lorin says.

For academic and activist Rosemary Dzüvichü, Rio’s legacy was the development of govern-

Price of lPG hiked by rs 16.50

NEW DELHI, JULY 1 (PTI): Price of non-subsidised cooking gas (LPG) was on Tuesday hiked by Rs.16.50 per cylinder and that of jet fuel by over half-a-per cent after international oil prices surged due to the ongoing Iraq crisis. The increase in rates of non-subsidised LPG and ATF accompanies the Rs.1.69 a litre hike in petrol and 50 paisa a litre in diesel announced on Monday. The price of non-subsidised LPG, which customers buy after using up their quota of 12 subsidised cylinders, was raised by Rs.16.50 per 14.2-kg cylinder, the first hike in six months.

Tuesday’s hike breaks the declining trend that started in February.

IOC said losses on LPG have risen to Rs.449 per subsidised cylinder from Rs.432.71 in the previous month.

The loss was Rs.762.50 in January.

ment infrastructure in Nagaland but missed the bus on providing public amenities. While Rio began on a promising gender front, he quickly faltered, according to her, due to the patriarchal political party he could not get a foot above on the issue. As an MP, though, he has opportunities to cash in on.

Robin Temsu, who

teaches History at Sazolie College, Kohima affirms that as a leader Rio could have done more, “especially on the economic and educational front” and expresses hope that his second innings as MP “would bring out the best of him, as the worse he (has) left behind with his abdication of the CM post.” Robin describes Rio as “a good politician but found wanting as a leader.”

“Rio exudes confidence and youth,” says commentator Kekhrie Yhome.

And apart from political stability, Rio’s era saw the “simultaneous radicalization of the electorates and the birth of a knowledge society in Nagaland.”

However, Kekhrie, who has been a strong critic of Rio’s leadership and policies, comments that Rio has the “predictable intuition of a shrewd investor” and that “unlike the old guards, he has no notions of untouchables or vindictiveness.”

“His smart social intelligence created a big basket of information and leisurely allows him to pick and choose with calculative precision. It ensures Rio’s visibility everywhere. The downside of this kitty-bag policy is the absolute decimation of civil space, an essential in democratic process,” states Kekhrie.

There is, however, wide agreement that Rio was successful in “raising the Naga image through the Hornbill Festival,” as Lorin states. Venüsa agrees that Rio’s “attempts to promote tourism and to empower the youth are noteworthy.”

According to Robin, Hornbill Festival provided a plat-

form and acted as a “safety valve” for the Nagas to direct their (positive) energy towards, generating awareness of ‘self’ and ‘others.’

Where governance faltered He “Fuelled tribalism in Nagaland through crony capitalism and crony politics,” says Robin, adding, “perhaps it cannot be avoided, for, as a people we are sentimentally tribal in our cultural moorings and politics tend to play towards tribal and clan loyalties, but as a leader, instead of allaying the fears and suspicion of the people, Rio endeared himself to these power boroughs,” Robin points out.

Other failures, according to Robin include, “Rio’s complete turnaround on Superannuation Act (2007) that affected countless lives” and, in his opinion, “the decision was more in keeping with his political ambition (2008 election) rather than in benefiting the unemployed youth, the reason cited when the act was reversed in 2009.” Also citing statistics given by the Nagaland Senior Government Employee Welfare Association, Robin alleges “Nepotism in filling up the 7000 vacant posts.”

“A sense of accountability was missing,” maintains Rosemary. “No action was taken against erring officials and Rio’s tenure saw the rise of a corrupt bureaucracy.”

Venüsa feels that Rio’s “passive acceptance of corruption by the politicians and bureaucrats does not speak highly of him as the leader of the people.”

Continued on page 5

Gnrc plans to launch medichopper service in north east KOHIMA, JULY 1 (MExN): The Guwahati Neurological Research Centre (GNRC) today unveiled plans to initiate air ambulance and medical outreach programme using helicopters to remote areas of the North Eeast. The service will regularly ferry doctors from GNRC to difficult-to-access locations across the region and provide doorstep medical support to the population across the North East states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim.

The announcement was made in Guwahati today at a press conference organized to mark the completion of six months of GNRC’s North Guwahati campus – popularly

known as GNRC Medical.

The first of its kind super specialty healthcare facility in the entire North East, GNRC Medical’s mission is to provide access to quality healthcare services at affordable prices.

The 300-bedded hospital is equipped with state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment facilities such as MRI, Cath Lab and CT Scan. “The hospital has received enormous response in the first six months of its operations and is presently receiving up to 200 outpatients every day,” said Dr. Nomal Chandra Borah, CMD of GNRC Hospitals Ltd. “More importantly, we are touched by the expressions of gratitude and satisfaction of the

general population which is visiting us for treatment,” he added.

GNRC Medical was recently chosen by the World Bank Group (WBG), through its India Development Marketplace (IDM) initiative, to receive a grant of US$150,000.

“The grant and tailor-made capacity development program by the World Bank Group is a big support to our mission of making a meaningful impact in the lives of people by providing quality healthcare services at affordable prices. It will help us to scale up our operating model and bridge the gap between healthcare requirement and availability,” said Dr. Borah. “We intend to set up ten more hospitals in the region and beyond, within the next five years.”

CMO expresses ‘anguish’ over ‘clashes’ on June 30 KOHIMA, JULY 1 (MExN): The Nagaland State Government has expressed “anguish” at the “clashes” that took place on June 30 which “resulted in several injuries.”

“They were most unfortunate and could have been avoided if only the anti social elements were kept at bay and the parties had chosen to resolve peacefully the differences through the instrument of the Cabinet Sub-Committee,” stated a press communique from the Nagaland Chief Minister’s Office.

The CMO admitted that “in the interest of the public,” the State Government “disallowed the bandh as per the decision of the Cabinet.”

“Later in the evening, based on the instruction of the State Government, the Home Commissioner directed the Deputy Commissioner,

Dimapur not to confront and let the bandh pass off peacefully, if the NFHRCC did not call it off,” it informed.

According to the CMO, “Extreme restraint was shown by the District Administration in handling the crowds.” The State Government has now brought new information to light that the DC, “in the larger public interest and for securing safety of the citizens, imposed Prohibitory Orders under Section 144 CrPC banning assembly of 5 or more people only around the Green Park area where the situation was getting out of control.”

Going through the history of the Foothills Road project, the State Government informed that the DPR for this Project is yet to be prepared and the State Government is “exploring possible sourc-

es” for funding. “In the meantime, during 2013-14, as per the demands of the people, the State Government decided to take up the Foothills Connectivity road with the aim of having at least a jeepable single laned road.”

Accordingly, an initial amount of Rs. 40.00 crores was made available, according to the CMO, out of the State Plan and the alignment was worked out through consultations and viability surveys.

“On the insistence of the NFHRCC,” noted the CMO without citing reasons for the NFHRCC’s insistence, “the work orders amounting to about Rs. 16.00 crores were issued to two recommended Contractors of the NFHRCC, without inviting tenders.” This, as per the CMO, was “strongly objected to” by “some”

Tribal Hohos as well as the Nagaland Contractors and Suppliers Union (NCSU).

For the next phase of works, therefore, “open tenders were invited in order to maintain transparency.”

The CMO further recounted that “At this juncture, the NFHRCC served an Ultimatum to the Government to cancel the tenders and give the works to the Contracts of their choice. In the interest of maintaining transparency, the Department decided not to cancel the tenders. Ultimately, based on the bids, two Contractors were issued with the work orders for Mon and Mokokchung sectors. This was highly objected to by the NFHRCC who threatened to go on bandh.”

Finally, the CMO reminisced how the Cabinet Sub Committee was set up and the ensuing effects.

C M Y K

C M Y K

2

Dimapur

Wednesday

LocaL

2 July 2014

NNC elects new leaders DimaPuR, July 1 (mExN): The most senior members, central executive council and regional authorities jointly held a meeting on June 27 to re-organise the Naga National Council (NNC) and elected Temjenyanger Aier as president, Bendry Yanthan as vice president and Dr Amento Chishi as general secretary. A press note issued by the newly elected officials informed that oath of allegiance shall take place at the earliest.

The meeting also resolved to elect Retd Senior member from eastern Nagaland as vice president and joint secretary from Angami Region. The newly elected leaders of NNC have appealed to Naga people to support for common cause.

The Morung Express C M

SBI Mokokchung renews pledge to serve people moKoKchuNg, July 1 (DiPR): State Bank of India, Mokokchung celebrated Bank Day on July 1 in the conference hall of Regional Business Office with a renewed pledge to serve the people.

Assistant General Manager, AK Sarnakhound in his speech said that SBI was the oldest Banking institution in the country with 18000 branches the highest number of branches and highest number of employees spread all over the country.

He said that the SBI reaffirm its commitment to play greater role in providing all financial needs to its customers for their economic upliftment. AGM said that

every year SBI comes up with new scheme to the suit of the customers.

Referring to the role of SBI in Nagaland state, AGM Sarnakhound said that there are 63 Branches in all the 11 districts and through these branches SBI participate in

CeleBrateS Bank Day the economic upliftment of the state by extending its services even to the remotest region. He also announced that one more SBI Branch in Mokokchung district would soon be opened at Changtongya town to bring the entire people of Changtongya

Y K

region under the map of SBI. DC Mokokchung Murohu Chotso while addressing the Day thanked the SBI for their role in extending their products to the needy people in the district. He called upon the SBI officers to extend all help to local youth who are aspiring to join the SBI. He also shared the concern of the SBI over irregularities / delay in payment of Loan extended to the people.

ADC Chubawati in his speech sought better relationship between Mokokchung Municipal Council and the SBI Mokokchung in catering to the needs of people in the town. SP Mokokchung Vikram Khalate also spoke on the occasion.

Young children from Pangsha village are seen digging a paddy field before the planting of paddy plants. (Imti Longchar Photo)

Patton apprises Union HM Historic monolith at on issues of IRB Battalion Molungkimong dedicated

C M Y K

C M Y K

NEw DElhi, July 1 (mExN): Home Minister of Nagaland, Y. Patton called on Raj Nath Singh, Union Home Minister on July 1.

During the meeting, Y. Patton apprised the Union Home Minister on the various pending issues such as the pathetic infrastructure facilities for the IRB Battalion, acute shortage of IAS and IPS officers in the State Government, particularly at the top management level and appointment of Interlocutor at the earliest etc.

He also apprised on the non-receipt of reimbursement claim from the Government of West Bengal for performing duties by the IRB Battalions in West Bengal though the reimbursement claim was released by the Centre long time back. As a suggestion, Patton urged the Union Minister to directly release the reimbursement claim to the State Government and not though the State Government where IBR Battalion is deployed. “This would not only cut the delays in the receipt of reimbursement claim but also

Nagaland Home Minister Y. Patton and Union Home Minister Raj Nath Singh during a meeting held on July 1.

avoid the unnecessary red tapism involved in the process,” Patton said.

Union Home Minister appreciated the suggestion of Patton and assured full cooperation to the State Government on priority

Kohima, July 1 (DiPR): The Department of Planning & Coordination bid farewell to its outgoing Additional Chief Secretary & Development Commissioner, HK Khulu IAS at Hotel Japfu on June 30.

The farewell programme was attended by AHODs, HODs, officers and staff, family members and well wishers. Speaking on the occasion an emotional Khulu said he was indeed honoured and overwhelmed by the love and affection shown by organizing such a grand programme in his honour.

Recounting on his 5 years at Air India based in Mumbai and how he entered into the elite service through Civil Service exam in the year 1982, he thanked the Almighty God for bestowing him knowledge, strength, good health. He owed to his parents who were no more, for giving bountiful blessings and constantly supporting him throughout their life time.

Therefore, he ascribed all

the accomplishments to Almighty and his parents.

He said he retired in the present capacity with a great sense of satisfaction and expressed his gratitude to the officers and staffs for their cooperation, understanding, team spirit and moral support irrespective of good or bad times during his stay in the department.

In his farewell remarks, Khulu made some observations to the department of Economics & Statistics to furnish accurate data, observing that it was absolutely essential for formulation of planning and urged the Planning department to work with renewed vigour asserting that the future of state lies in the planning department. Highlighting on the importance of Nagaland State Development Zones (NSDZs) he felt that once put into application it would immensely help the state in forging ahead. Mentioning about the Nagaland Investment Board (NIB) he said that it would be like a new era for the people provided

C Y K

Kohima, July 1 (mExN): BJP Kohima District Committee executive meeting was held on July 1 at its party office at Kohima. Party functioning at various levels, Booth Committee performances etc was discussed in detail. Emphasis was given to 11 Northern Angami (ii) Assembly Constituency where the bye-election is going to take place shortly. Apel Thaprü, General Secretary in a press release informed that n this connection as sub-committee has been constituted with the following members: Vidilhoulie Theünuo, Convenor; Apel Thaprü, Member; and Pelesatuo Metha, Member.

To select candidate for the bye-election, the following point will be observed for recommendation to the BJP State unit: First preference will go to the candidate who are BJP cadres; Seniority and experience will be counted; Candidates who have more winning chance; and Financial stability. The meeting further resolved and appeal to all part men and women to maintain party discipline in the best interest of the part. In the event of denial or allocation with party ticket, all party men and women should extend their fullest support to the part candidate who ever selected and ensure comfortable winning in the bye-election.

The meeting ended with a short prayer Pelesatuo.

HK Khulu IAS receiving memento from Parliamentary Secretary Neiba Kronu at Hotel Japfu on June 30. (DIPR Photo)

everyone works with zeal and enthusiasm. He asserted that Nagas should focus more on private sector as the employment avenues in the public sector have already reached the saturation point.

We Nagas emphasized more on regional or district project but it is high time for the Nagas to first think and act on as

Naga project rather than district project, he noted. He expressed his sincere gratitude for the love and affection shown to him and his family.

Parliamentary Secretary for Planning & Coordination, Evaluation & Monitoring, Neiba Kronu congratulated him on attaining the superannua-

Kohima, July 1 (mExN): All Nagaland Government Drivers Association ANGDA (CC) visited all the departments during May and June and has discussed with the officers of the department regarding the problems faced by the ANGDA (CC) members. A press release issued by Medoneizo Sanchu, President and Tilak Chetri, Joint Secretary expressed their gratitude to the department officers for their appreciation to cooperate with them. Further, all ANGDA members are requested to submit the membership fee for the year 2013-2014.

Kohima, July 1 (mExN): A consultative meeting of Chokri Chakhesang Literature Committee (CCLC) officials, CGTC members, Chokrimi Church Leaders, Chokrimi Public leaders and concerned Chokri people shall be held in the private residence of Z. Vadeo- Upper Bayavü, Kohima at 10:00 am on July 4. A press release issued by Dr. Zokho Venuh, General Secretary (Admn) CCLC stated that the meeting is to deliberate on formation of Chokrimi advisory Committee and for finalization of Chokri Gospel songs translation. All concerned members are requested to attend the meeting without fail.

C M Y K

DSE informs on Govt School Teachers’ Conference

Rev. Dr. Mar Atsungchanger dedicates the monolith engraving the names of sixty warriors who escorted Dr Clark.

Baptist Church in a press note acknowledged acknowledgment to the participants for the success of

the program and especially to Mokokchung Molungkimong Union for generously donating the monolith.

tion with good health. He described Khulu as a man who had wide experiences and young politicians like him who worked hand in hand with him gained a lot.

Khulu is a man who played a balancing role without tribalism which Kronu said and viewed that it was the most difficult task in our present context. Nagaland Investment Board (NIB) has been set up under his initiative and the suggestions he contributed and the roles he played particularly in the oil issue were commendable, he added.

Commissioner & Secretary, Planning, Mhonbemo Patton speaking on the occasion said that although he was tough by looking yet soft at heart and that is what we call looks could be deceptive. He termed his brief period in the department as “Short and Sweet”.

OSD Planning, Kevileno described him as a man of few words but a person who displayed that action speaks louder than words. He has left with an

indelible marks and made a lasting impression to emulate. Under his leadership, various programmes have been initiated and whatever have been planted by him would be carried forward, she assured.

Additional Development Commissioner, Temsuwati reckoned him as a man of action and principle.

Though he was in the department for only 1½ years but whatever he conceived turned into reality despite differences, he said.

Director, Economics & Statistics, Y. Sacheo Ovung and President NPMSA, Augustine also spoke and described him as a diplomatic and kind hearted officer.

Both of them acknowledged him for his valuable services, contributed towards the department and wished him all the best as he embarked on a new phase of life.

Neite-o Koza and Pezet Newmai presented special number while Joint Development Commissioner, Aolemla Jamir, chaired the programme.

Parliamentary Secy Jail & HG visits Central Jail

DimaPuR, July 1 (mExN): Parliamentary Secretary Jail & Home Guards Er Picto Shohe visited Central Jail, Dimapur on July 1. In his maiden visit to the Jail, Er Picto Shohe interacted with the Jail staffs and had a fellowship with the Jail inmates.

The Press secretary in a press note stated that in his short speech, Er Picto Shohe urged the jail inmates to replace wrong doings by good doings and encourage them to inculcate good habits in order to be an asset to the society in the near future.

He advised them to introspect for what reasons they are inside the Jail and told

ANGDA (CC) visit departments

Chokri consultative meeting held

ACS & Development Commissioner HK Khulu IAS retires

BJP kohima dist elects committee for bye-election

M

basis. Resident Commissioner Jyoti Kalash and DIG Wabang Jamir were also present in the meeting.

This was stated in a press release issued by New Delhi, Nagaland House PRO Kuolie Mere.

m o lu N g K i m o N g, July 1 (mExN): On December 18, 1872, sixty warriors from Molungkimong Village escorted Dr. W.E. Clark to the village and on December 22, he Baptized the first 15 converts which led to the foundation of the first ever Church on Naga soil.

A grand monolith engraving the names of those sixty warriors who escorted Dr Clark in his epochal journey, which ushered in a life-altering transformation in the history of the Nagas from headhunters to God-fearing followers of the Jesus Christ was unveiled and dedicated on June 28. Rev. Dr. Mar Atsungchanger, Executive Secretary of ABAM unveiled and dedicated the monolith amidst a large and devoted gathering with great jubilation. Rev. Dr. Mar Atsungchanger also planted a sapling in commemoration of the historic occasion. On the next day he baptized 22 boys and girls and administered the Lords Supper at the Sunday Devotional Service that followed.

The Molungkimong

MEx File

Dimapur Central Jail Officials briefing the status of development inside the Jail to Parliamentary Secretary Jail & Home Guards, Er Picto Shohe.

them to take a turning point to be a good citizen. Er Picto the word of God and begin in their living style in order asked them to be rooted in with a new life.

Kohima, July 1 (mExN): Director of School Education Nagaland informs those DEOs/ SDEOs who have not submitted the list of teachers under their jurisdiction to do so on or before July 1 with a copy endorsed to the undersigned or the Director of SCERT, Nagaland without fail. This was informed in pursuance and continuation of the press release in connection with the first Government School Teachers’ Conference with 1000 teachers on July 4 and 5 at the NBCC Convention Centre, Kohima being organised by the joint venture of the SCERT Nagaland: Directorate of School Education, Nagaland and the Nagaland Board of School Education. The DEOs/ SDEOs who fail to depute their teachers as specified and the teachers who are deputed and fail the said conference shall be seriously dealt with by the authority. The delegates are also informed to report to the conference venue at 8:30 am for registration and honorarium also shall be given to the delegates right after the last session of the conference. This was informed in a press release issued by Kesonyü Yhome, IAS, Principal Director.

C M Y K

NPF Central Youth Wing condemns Kohima, July 1 (mExN): The NPF Central Youth Wing has vehemently condemned the cowardly act of burning of the effigy of NPF President Dr. Shürhozelie Liezietsu and Chairman DAN at Mokokchung NPF Divisional Office premises. NPF Youth Wing media cell in a condemnation note stated that such acts of cowardice without any rhyme or reason and provocation are uncalled for n any civilized society. “We express our solidarity with our efficient leaders and the government and hope that better sense will prevail amongst all the party workers in the greater interest of the party and the government,” the note added.

Training held on fishery pond management moKoKchuNg, July 1 (DiPR): A training programme on fishery pond management, which was sponsored by Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) and conducted by District Fishery Office, Mokokchung was held at Sapangya Compound, Mokokchung on June 26, where fish farmers from Aliba, Kinunger, Sapangya and Chungtia villages attended the training programme. Topics on ‘Site Selection on and management of Fishery Pond’, “Composit Fish Culture”, “Integrated Fish Farming” and “Control of Fish Diseases, insects and Predator were discussed during the training programme. Trainees from the four villages mentioned their appreciation towards the departments and officials for their concern on invaluable services.

UGC approves 15 teaching positions to NU Kohima, July 1 (DiPR): The University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi has conveyed the approval of 15 teaching positions to Nagaland University during XII Plan on the reference letter No.NU/FIN/ BUD-18/2012- 2028 dated 06.08.2013, the notification issued by Deputy Secretary, UGC Dr. Archana Thakur vide No.F1-1/2013 (CU) dated 5th February, 2014. As per notification of the UGC, name of the Department were Forest Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Centre for Naga Tribal Language Studies and Centre for South East Asian Studies. The Teaching positions were 2 Professors, 2 Associate Professors and 11 Assistant Professors. The approval is subject to the fulfillment of the conditions: University may fill up the teaching positions at the earliest and explore the possibility to allocate the vacant teaching position in the new areas or where the requirement of teaching position in particular department is more needed.

C M Y K

REgional

The Morung Express

Wednesday 2 July 2014

Dimapur

3

Arunachal CM urges Centre Power tariff up in Assam by 36 paise to act on China Map issue New Delhi, July 1 (PTi): Arunachal Chief Minister Nabam Tuki today said the NDA government should act appropriately and resolve the issue of China's reported claim over the state in a recent map.

Reacting to questions about reports that China has in its recent map shown Arunachal Pradesh as its territory, the state's Chief Minister Nabam Tuki today said it is wrong and he "rejected" any such actions. "We have seen it in the media about the map... It is wrong and we have rejected it," he told reporters after meeting Environment and Forests Minister Prakash Javadekar. He further said that the government should act appropriate-

SUMA protests China Arunachal claim iTaNagar, July 1 (PTi): Protesting the oft repeated claim of China on the state's territory, the Students' Union Movement of Arunachal (SUMA) today organised a rally here to vent its anger on the reported move of Beijing to show Arunachal Pradesh as part of its territory in a latest map.

Hundreds of motorcycle-borne SUMA activists shouting anti-China slogans joined the rally which started from Akashdeep and culminated at Raj Bhawan. The Union also submitted a singlely in the matter to resolve it.

Earlier on Saturday, reacting strongly to reports that China had in a recent map shown Arunachal Pradesh as its territory, the Spokesper-

22 Die of Scrub Typhus Infection aizawl, July 1 (PTi): At least 22 people have died due to scrub typhus infection from ticks since 2012 in Mizoram, a state health department official said today. 492 patients suffering from scrub typhus infection were treated during the same period, Dr Pachuau Lalmalsawma, Nodal Officer for the state Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) said. Lalmalsawma said that the ticks carrying scrub typhus virus were mainly concentrated in Champhai district bordering Myanmar, while ticks carrying Indian Tick Typhus virus were mainly found in south Mizoram's Lunglei district. The scrub typhus carrier ticks are extremely small and very difficult to detect in the jungle, but the bite could be fatal, he said.

point memorandum to state governor Lt Gen (Retd) Nirbhay Sharma.

Later talking to reporters, Union's President Biri Tabing said, "Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India and will continue to remain so. Every inch of Arunachal's soil belongs to India and China should stop making such move which is detrimental for the people of the state."

"We want to make it loud and clear we always treat China as our nearest neighbor and our people are never a part of that country," he said.

son in the External Affairs Ministry said "cartographic depiction" does not change reality on the ground and asserted that Arunachal was an integral part of the country.

"The fact that Arunachal Pradesh is integral and inalienable part of India has been conveyed to Chinese authority at several occasions including at the very highest level," he said.

ZION HOSPITAL & RESEARCH CENTRE NEURO-PSYCHIATRIST FOR CONSULTATION Dr. PAKHA TESIA MD (NIMHANS) Bangalore will be available for consultation on 5th July 2014 (Saturday).

CANCER SURGEON FOR CONSULTATION Dr. GANESH DAS MBBS, MS (PGIMER) Trained Cancer Surgeon from Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai will be available for consultation on 12th July 2014 (Saturday).

For Registration, please contact:  03862- 231864, 227337, 224117

Minor allegedly raped in Chandel iMPhal, July 1 (NNN): A 6 year old girl was allegedly raped in Chandel district on June 28, according to a delayed report. Reacting to the news, angry mob yesterday dismantled the house where the accused was residing presently. One D. S. Kodar (30 years) of Leibi under Tengnoupal police station but presently staying at Khurkarthil village, 21 km north of Chandel district headquarters, on the pretext of buying her sweets at around 7 pm, took the minor girl to a secluded place and raped her inside an under construction shop. The accused is still absconding.

On June 30 at around 4 pm, relatives of the victim along with others numbering around 700 people dismantled the house where the accused was staying at Khurkarthil village. Unconfirmed reports said the dismantled house belonged to Kodar’s elder brother. The victim was reportedly examined at the Forensic Science Lab at the RIMS today.

eration of Industry and Commerce of the North East Region (FINER) has termed the increase as unfortunate.

R S Joshi, Chairman of FINER told ET, "Here we do not get quality power and decision to increase power tariffs at regular intervals is burdening the consumers and causing hardships." He added, "Bitter pills is alright but it should not be so bitter that one cannot digest it. Tariff hike will have cascading effects in other sectors too." The peak hour power deficit stood at 347 MW while the requirement is 1300 MW for and off peak the power requirement is 900 MW and deficit is 181 MW. Regional planning body of North

Eastern Council (NEC) discussed the regional Plan for the Power Sector recently. The major issues brought out were in the generation stage wherein North Eastern Electric Power Corporation's (NEEPCO) indicated that the Kameng power plant will be commissioned only in the month of March, 2017 against March, 2016 as earlier indicated.

NEC is funding 8 projects in Arunachal Pradesh, 2 in Assam, 8 in Manipur, 14 in Meghalaya, 10 in Mizoram, 7 in Nagaland, 8 in Sikkim and 4 in Tripura. The estimated cost of the projects is Rs. 49904.62 lakhs.

NEC has so far released an amount of Rs. 31248.86 lakhs for the States.

NAGALAND UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES - MBA D.C COURT JUNCTION DIMAPUR – 797112, NAGALAND

NU-MAT FOR ADMISSION INTO MBA PROGRAMME (BATCH 2014-15) This is for the information to all concerned [MBA ASPIRANTS] that, a Special Entrance Test (NU-MAT) will be conducted for Admission into the MBA Programme (Batch 2014-15) of Nagaland University at the School of Management Studies, Nagaland University, Dimapur. The test is intended for those candidates who could not appear in any of the National Level Management Aptitude Tests such as MAT/ CMAT/ CAT/ XAT/ ATMA. Those with valid MAT/CMAT/CAT/XAT/ATMA score may also appear in NU-MAT if they desire so.

ELIGIBILITY/ SELECTION CRITERIA FOR ADMISSION: i) Any Graduate with 50% marks (45% for SC/ST). Candidates who have appeared in their Bachelor Degree final exam and awaiting their results can also apply. ii) The written test will be followed by Group Discussions (GD) and Personal Interview (PI). iii) Final Selection will be based on the performances in written test, GD and PI. Registration forms for NU-MAT(Written Test) and the Admission Brochure can be obtained from the Admission Counter of the Administrative Block, Nagaland University Residential Campus, Land Mark Colony, Dimapur – 797112, Nagaland on payment of ` 1,100/-(`1,000 for SC/ST). The filled in application forms need to be submitted at the same office.

Important Dates: i) Last Date of issue and submission of form for NU-MAT : 09th July 2014 ii) Date of NU-MAT (written exams) : 11th July 2014 iii) Date of GD and PI (Group Discussion & Personal Interview) : 14th &15th July 2014 iv) Declaration of Result : 16th July 2014 v) Date of Admission for MBA 1st Semester Classes : 21st – 25th July, 2014. vi) Commencement of Classes : 1st August, 2014

HURRY! ONLY FEW DAYS LEFT

Sd\D P CHATURVEDI DEAN SMS, NU

Note: Information can also be seen from the website: www.nagauniv.org.in For clarification-contact: 9402830063/ 9436896150/ 9436275461 email: dmsnudim@rediffmail.com

Office of the

MOKOKCHUNG DISTRICT NPF FORUM Headquarter: Mokokchung

Ref.No……………………..

Date: 01/07/2014

PRESS REJOINDER

'Will expedite forest clearance for Arunachal project' iTaNagar, July 1 (PTi): Union Minister of State for Environment & Forests (Independent Charge) Prakash Javadekar has assured the Arunachal Pradesh government that he will expedite forest clearance for the 3000 MW Dibang Hydropower Project in the state.

Javadekar's assurance came when Chief Minister Nabam Tuki called on him at New Delhi Monday, a communique from the CMO said here Tuesday.

The minister during the meeting had said that his ministry was in the process of overhauling the entire forest and environment clearance mechanism so as to speed up the implementation of hydropower projects in the state.

He had further said that a decision to extend the norms of no-green clearance for road projects within 100 kms of the international border and other infrastructure development projects were under active consideration of his ministry.

The ministry recently had taken an important decision that the Defence Ministry would not have to come to the Centre to get green clearances for constructing border roads and strategically important projects coming within 100 kms of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

A decision on environmental and forest clearances on building defence infrastructure in areas in the 100 km-range from the LAC could be taken by the state governments concerned, Javadekar had said.

While appreciating the pro-active initiative of the chief minister, he assured him that Arunachal Pradesh along with the other North Eastern states was in priority list and his ministry was also formulating a new policy mechanism for proper disbursal of CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority) funds.

guwahaTi, July 1 (eT): What is expected to punch hole in pocket of the consumers' power tariff in Assam has gone up by 36 paise per unit from Friday onwards. The government has stated that increase is routine following the fuel and power purchase price adjustments.

Assam Electricity Regulatory Commission ( AERC) had hike power tariff by 2.4 per cent in categories of consumers like high tension (HT) industries, tea, and coffee and rubber industries, Domestic-B' category (above 5 Kilo Watt (KW) - 20 KW load) in December last year. Assam has to depend heavily on power sourced from outside the state to meet its power requirement. Local industry body, Fed-

Apropos to the news item” Dr.Benjongliba refutes June 28 news reports” on 29th June 2014 (Post Mortem, Nagaland Post), the Mokokchung District NPF Forum (MDNPFF) is compelled to issued this statement to clear the minds of the people. To point out a fact, on the 27th of June ’14, Dr Benjongliba, Minister of Agriculture & Chairman NSAMB and Dr.Longri, the Parliamentary Secretary, Labour and Employment Nagaland were on their way to Mokokchung via Wokha and from thereon he went to Merapani, Mariani, Amguri, Tuli and came to Mokokchung to attend the so called NPF Mokokchung Division meeting. It had also been found out that there was no head-on collision of two trucks near New Camp at Chungtia as he claimed. Of course there was no BSNL network on that day in Mokokchung up to 12:00 noon (which we are very much surprised of) but lest, other service providers were very much on working. Also, he had mentioned that they could not able to attend the divisional meeting as schedule however they could attend other two meetings. How could they have so many meetings in Mokokchung despite promulgation of 144Cr.PC on that very day? Are they outside the purview of the law/said section of the law? It would also be a great pleasure to meet those gifted people who could pelt a stone from a distance of more than half a kilometer away if only the S.P’s office was ever damaged in the incident.

It is also learnt from his writing that the Mokokchung District has two quotas of Ministerial Berths. This is a new political culture for us vis-à-vis how about the other districts for political justification? The forum also seeks enlightenment as to when the quota system for the Ministerial berth was ever collinear with the tribal distributions. Further, as absurd and fascinating as it sounds the existence of an 'upper' or ‘lower’ region, 1st Class or 3rd Class Citizens of the Ao's society is hitherto unheard of and unimagined. We strongly believe that the Ao Civil societies, different Organizations, NGOs etc will be more than intrigued to learn about these strata from our learned Minister.

The question of having the Mokokchung District NPF Forum being recognized or not by anybody or organization does not arise as it is a Forum constituted by the people of the district at the grass root level so he is requested not to kindly worry for the matter.

We leave it thusly, to the wisdom and hindsight of our readers to comprehend and judge the gravity of just how popular and eligible these elected leaders from the Ao community.

Sd/Media Cell

MILITARY ENGINEER SERVICES NOTICE INVITING TENDER

1. GARRISON ENGINEER ,868 ENGINEER WORKS SECTION,C/O 99 APO, on behalf of President of India invites applications from eligible enlisted Contractors of MES and enlisted/un-enlisted contractors working with other Govt Departments meeting eligibility criteria for selection of Contractors for issue of tender of under mentioned work :-

Ser No

1

2

Name of work

Provn Addn/Altn to Bldg No T-3 of 3 Corps OMC at Rangapahar Military Station Provn of arboriculture and certain revenue and minor works under AGE B/R-I at Rangapahar Military Station

Estimated CompleAmount of cost of work tion Earnest Money (Rs.in period in for Contractors Lakhs) Months not enlisted with MES in Rs.

14.90

14.50

Cost of Tender documents

Eligibility Last Date Date of Date of of receipt criteria(a) for Issue Receipt MES Contracof of tender of tors (b) for Applicatender other contraction tor

06 Rs 29,800/(Six) Months

Rs 500/- for each work in the shape of DD/Banker's Cheque/Pay orders from any Nationalized /Scheduled Bank in favour of GE 868 EWS

14 Jul 2014

'E' Class Category ‘a (i)’

15 Jul 2014

05 Aug 2014

Rs 29,000/06 (Six) Months

Rs 500/- for each work in the shape of DD/Banker's Cheque/Pay orders from any Nationalized /Scheduled Bank in favour of GE 868 EWS

14 Jul 2014

'E' Class Category ‘a (i)’

15 Jul 2014

05 Aug 2014

1. The contractor enlisted in one class below the "Eligibility Criteria" given above may also apply. Accepting Officer may consider such applications in the event of inadequate response from eligible class contractors.

2. Application not accompanied by requisite value DD/Bankers Cheque towards Cost of Tender shall not be considered for issue of tender.

3. Contractors not enlisted with MES will be required to enclose necessary documents to prove their eligibility as given above including Affidavit for no recovery outstanding.

4. In case of rejection of application for issue of tender, the applicant shall be refunded the cost of tender. Contractor may appeal to next higher Engineer Authority i,e. CE Comd/ Zone/CWE for rejection of his application for issue of tender whose decision shall be final and binding. However Contractor shall not be entitled to any compensation what so ever for non issue of tender.

5. The above details are also available on MES website : www.mes.gov.in and Indian Trade journal. Full Notice of Tender IAFW-2162 & Enlistment Criteria is available in all Offices of MES.

8680/02/E8 dated 18/06/2014 (IMM-15)

Elite Healthcare Training Institute United North Block Sector-B, Burma Camp, Dimapur Last Date of Admission 11-07-14

Course Offer Eligibility Duration 1. DMLT 10 passed 2 years 2. ANM 10 passed 2 years 3. Nursing Assistant 8 passed 1 year Office timing: 9:00 AM -12 Noon (Monday to Friday) For details contact: 985616125245/8974600544 /8731961913/9862639134

4

Dimapur

public discoursE

Wednesday 2 July 2014

business SBI launches digital touch banking branches

New Delhi, July 1 (AgeNcies): State Bank of India has launched six digital branches across the nation, as part of its programme to offer next generation banking solutions to the mobile and internet-savvy customer base. These branches are located in Mumbai, Bangalore,Chennai and Ahmedabad, besides Delhi. One of such branches in Delhi was inaugurated this morning by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

Named as sbiINTOUCH, these branches will have digital banking capabilities, which include instant account opening with personalised debit cards, instant loan approvals for education, car and home and remote expert advisors available via video links. The new branches are equipped with interactive wall and table displays and multi-function kiosks.

“Today, more than half of India’s population is under the age of 25. By 2020, India’s average age will be 29 years - this is a digital demographic, one that expects businesses to provide solutions immediately. At the same time, the mass afflunet - no matter what their age - have similar espectations. Indian banks need to provide a strong response to these new demands,” Chairman of SBI Arundhati Bhattacharya said here.

Digital biz strategy The bank has engaged Accenture to develop the digital business strategy for its programme. Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 293,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries.

‘Touch’ branches Customers can open a SBI savings account by visiting the new ‘Touch’ branches launched by the bank. The new branches will be located in malls and will be primarily aimed at youth, who look for digital banking.

silence of the Lambs

Our lives begin to end the day when we become silent about the things that matters - Martin Luther King Jr.

A

present cabinet minister’s new purchase of a Jaguar Convertible car photo circulating on whatsapp and social networking sites caught my attention and so did of many other thousands of Naga people. Not that I was envious but some queries crept in like, ‘Are there even roads good enough that exists in our place which is suitable to drive such an expensive piece of an automobile? Or has Nagas come to a stage where we can buy such a world-class state-of-the-art vehicle to drive on our hostile and unfriendly roads? It is roughly estimated to cost around 2 crores plus an additional duty of customs duty clearance and unseen miscellaneous expenditures which will come to the tune of lakhs more and much more to maintain such a costly motor vehicle .I doubt if our people has reach a stage where one can buy such an expensive car by our honest sweat. But this is not just some stray case, many of our present politicians and bureaucrats own imported and luxurious high class SUVs and sedans like Range Rovers, Audis, BMW etc. which are high-end class even by world standards and it makes only one unable to fathom the justification of buying such expensive automobiles by the income which are very much disproportionate to their known source unless it is through siphoning of centrally allocated funds meant for developmental works or otherwise. Another politician is building an eight-storey building in the heart of the Dimapur town which is claimed to be the tallest in Nagaland while his hometown district lies in utter negligence where the roads are no better than riverbeds or fisheries. But we let these things pass unheeded like everything is right.

Just recently, me and two friends overheard some youths inside an ice-cream parlour who were discussing about the recent tiff between the ACAUT and the Excise commissioner over the missing case of 2054 cases of liquor. One of them quipped ‘Why is the NBCC which made the then govt. implement the NTLP Act 1989 remains so mute and tight-lipped all these times about these broad daylight corruption and not reprimanding the guilty party?’ There had been some voices from several quarters that ACAUT is touching too many pies at a time but if it had not been ACAUT then Who? And if not now, When? Now atleast, we have someone to bell the cat. Had not the ACAUT sprung up from the very dying embers of a morally lost society which is drowning neck-deep in a Sea of Corruption, WHO WOULD HAVE? It may sound hilarious and comical but during every bottle –breaking event all the bottles of liquors are only of the cheap adulterated MC Rum and Foster’s beers but the expensive scotch whiskies, high class beers and sparkling wine bottles are always missing. Or do the expensive

The Morung Express

ones become invisible while crossing the check-posts because they are just expensive? Where did all those NGOs, Churches and civil bodies that protests on papers, conducts rallies and hellbent on prohibition disappear when this issue surfaced? Yet we look on like nothing is wrong.

The centrally allocated funds issued by the Govt. of India sure experiences a multiple ‘Trickle-Down Theory’ in Nagaland only that it does not reach the common masses which is the real purpose but gets lost which are swallowed from the topmost level to mid-level and finally to the lowest level too. The PMGSY, MGNREGA, IAYS, to name a few, have only made some people amass enormous wealth overnight and income which are disproportionate to their known source of income. These schemes for welfare and uplifment have become only moneychurners for the few. But we just gloat on with praise and awe over their illgotten and questionable means of getting rich quicker by depraved means.

And we just look on at these things like everything is right.

A few months back, local Medias reported a news item and some photos about some underprivileged children of a govt. school in a popular locality without any classrooms and running classes in a waiting shed and an ammunition store-house of Second World War as there was no land to build their school. Even the site proposed to build it is engaged in a scuffle between various local bodies, department and the administration. Here the question is not only about how a school was allowed to be established without a land to build it? But also what happen to all those surrounding govt. lands which are now full of palatial mansions and private buildings that belong not only to our corrupted leaders but as well privatized by many people who are even church deacons? Does our conscience no longer lives? Everything seems so right to us in our own way that nothing seems to be wrong now which makes us observe these acts silently.

The Dimapur town now does not even have a foothold to place a feet during peak traffic hours with countless number of auto rickshaws owned by non-locals in the name of locals and there is a gross over issuance of permits but it just keeps multiplying. Miyas, Biharis, Nepalis all purchasing and procuring in a Naga name and just because we want some false pride of owing it in our name and some quick bucks we let it go on. No one says anything or does anything because if they do they are against progress, misfits or plain jealous of someone’s prosperity. More than a year has passed by since the district administration and the DMC did not even publish the price list of essential commodities and it is the com-

mon people who has to bear the brunt of uscrupulous crooked traders and greedy businessmen all in the name of taxation. Yet we chose to remain silent except some mutterings about trafficjams and no parking spaces inside the confines of our four-walls.

The taxation issue which is a burning topic of the people today does not end only with our National workers demanding their percentage from our salaries, contract works, business profits or dealership taxes etc. with an extortion note or at gunpoint. But what about our ministers, commissioners, secretaries, directors, chief engineers or their subordinates and till to our village councils cutting their percentage in each contract work or supply which is now the order of the day.?Here the extortion by the Pen seems to be more and amounts deducted slyly by these corrupted unprincipled leaders seems to be more and severe .But just like a day has its night ,everything seems usual and nothing abnormal. It has become a natural and a habitual routine. Why raise a voice unless you make a scapegoat of yourself and become a victim of some sort? When even God demands just 10 percent from us our leaders demands 24 percent or cut down from 60-70 percent. With just crumbs as leftovers, we let just let these things go on like nothing is wrong.

It is another wonder how so many illegal immigrants has entered in all those interior districts in our state of Nagaland ,leave alone Dimapur and Kohima yet the government machineries choose to remain in a slumber mode deliberately knowing the dangers and repercussions it is going to manifests in the near coming years? Some dishonest and crooked persons’ selfish intentions of making a fast buck by selling those ILPs is sure to explode the future generations’ stake.

Our student unions cannot just afford to remain satisfied with their routine checks and go back again to slumber on this dangerous subject .These immigrants who have grabbed almost all the economic power now have to wait only some more years for their political rights after which everything will be in their hands. With their numbers increasing so is their boldness each day. It is also a wonder how these illegal immigrants so easily avail loans to start up a business here in our land while the Naga youths are much deprived the same. Some many leaders enroll them in the electoral lists for their vote-banks endangering our own future. Yet, we choose to go on like nothing is wrong.

We conveniently and non-chalantly always shift the blame on our politicians, bureaucrats and National workers for all kinds of corruption but we are also accountable directly or indirectly.

Aren’t you and me also one among the many who pays the peon, the clerk, the junior officers upto the highest level to

get our work done quickly and easily.

If it is others who are doing, we called it bribery or corruption but if it is us then there is nothing wrong. Aren’t these deeds providing the fertile soils of where those despicable seeds of corruptions are sown? Why do you pay extra bucks to the butcher, the vendor or the trader just because you do not want to demean your status by bargaining for the prescribe rate? Aren’t you directly instigating price rise? Why do we knowingly let some dishonest govt. servants continue to deduct our salary, arrears and pensions thinking they won’t do our work if you don’t give them some amount or just because you know them personally that even if they are wrong you dare not displease them? Aren’t those office clerks and officials getting paid by the government for their work? Why do they always cut certain amount in the name of travel expenses, file maintenance of other govt. employees? Aren’t they paid travelling expenditures? Whom are we trying to fool?

But we let these acts go on in silence.

Many people in this world have great ideas but they are just nothing more than great ideas and remain as it is till they die with it and are buried together with them without any actions.

Watching silently these corrupted acts going by without any bother and care has been the hallmark for most of us.

‘Silence like a cancer grows…..’ thus sang the legendary pop duo Simon and Garfunkel in their famous iconic hit number ‘The Sound of Silence’. As a part and parcel of our society we all need to make a decision sooner or later no matter how hard they maybe .The most dangerous side of the road is neither the right nor the left but the middle of the road, because that’s where we get run over .Today most of the Naga people in our society seem to be standing ,in the middle of the road or are just fence-sitters. The stoic and the deafening silence of us Nagas had been suddenly shattered by the growing voices of despair and disillusionment of many young generation Nagas in which the decibel is growing every day.

Living in a Naga society today, one becomes only frustrated and disillusioned with a neck-deep corruption at its heights and worst in every sphere and our walk of life which has become intolerable and suffocating the young unblemished minds that are led to the burning fiery depths of the bottomless abyss for our love of easy money. Sometimes, it makes me wonder had we been a sovereign nation what rank and number would we be in the list of most corrupted nations.

Nothing gets done, nothing gets moving or nothing gets completed unless a certain amount of money is paid, say bribed to be more appropriate.

Determination is the wake-up call of the human will and without determination we remain passive and inactive with

silent madness. Has our society lost this value or our present leaders and elders have failed to instill this in us? We see, we think, we feel and talk about it but soon forget it like everything is right and life goes on as usual. Do today’s leaders ever think how their children will be living tomorrow by the seeds of their debauched and untruthful acts which they have implanted today? Tomorrow, it may be your own children who maybe bearing the brunt of the corruption, taxation and lawlessness you’re planting today to others and they maybe extorted at gun-point and denied their rights by someone who takes money from under the table. If you love them, why not set it right today?

The Church choose to remain passive and silent with all these rampant taxation, blatant corruption and flagrant misuse of power by both overgrounds and undergrounds but dare not utter that they are in the wrong. Is it afraid? Does it fears to ruffle the feathers and raise the brows of our godless leaders who want to remain embedded in corruption without anyone questioning them or rebuking them? The Church remains much more to be desired by the faithfuls in denouncing the agnostic acts of unscrupulous and unjudicious acts of our leaders no matter who they maybe or what they are. Time to call spade a spade, dear church leaders, black is black and white is white.

Time to hit some hard-hitting sermons about our morally degraded land blinded by the love of ill-gotten wealth and mammon-worshipping and a land where the Leaders have become Looters, People have become Puppets and Society have become a Soulless Entity.

Have we all become the Wolves that there does not remain a single Lamb to save? Or have we all become the Lambs which are being slaughtered in this Festival of Corruption a proclaimed Land for Christ cannot stop making merry?

Yet, as the saying goes ‘There is a light at the end of every tunnel’. And sure we do need someone to take us out from this tunnel which has enslaved us. Some Good Samaritans and people who think out of the box people like the ACAUT, The Watchman, the FNR has now come up. It is time to break ourselves away from the Silent Culture which is rotting us from the inside .What we need now is ,maybe not only a Revolution of a Gandhian or a Marxian type but a complete overhaul of the present system of Reformation and a Restoration of our corrupted society and which is wounded and ravaged by our Silence. Let me conclude this writing by quoting from one of the greatest western classic writer Louis L’lamour “I would not sit waiting for some vague tomorrow, nor for something to happen .One could wait a lifetime and find nothing at the end of waiting. I would begin here and I would make something happen…..only if you and me let it.” Peace out to all!

Jonah Achumi Dimapur

Readers may please note that the contents of the articles, letters and opinions published do not reflect the outlook of this paper nor of the Editor in any form.

_

LEISURE

Simple Rules - There is just one simple rule: “Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.”

SUDOKU Game Number # 2924

DAILY CROSS WORD

CROSSWORD # 2931

DIMAPUR Civil Hospital:

STD CODE: 03862

Metro Hospital: Faith Hospital: Shamrock Hospital Zion Hospital: Police Control Room Police Traffic Control East Police Station West Police Station CIHSR (Referral Hospital) Dimapur hospital Apollo Hospital Info Centre: Railway: Indian Airlines Chumukedima Fire Brigade Nikos Hospital and Research Centre Nagaland Multispecialty Health & Research Centre

Answer Number # 2923

KOHIMA

Police Control Room: North Police Station: South Police Station: Fire Brigade: Naga Hospital: Oking Hospital: Bethel Nursing Home:

232224; Emergency229529, 229474 227930, 231081 228846 228254 231864, 224117, 227337 228400 232106 227607 232181 242555/ 242533 224041, 248011 230695/9402435652 131/228404 229366 282777 232032, 231031 248302, 09856006026

STD CODE: 0370

Northeast Shuttles

100/2244279 2222222 2222111 2222952 2222916 2243339 2224202

O

PANEM DISTRICTS FINNICK ANNIE MAGS BEETEE WIRESS JOHANNA PEETA SNOW KATNISS GALE PRIM KISS MUTTS POISONGAS MORPHLINGS LIGHTNINGTREE CAPITAL EFFIE HAYMITCH CINNA DESIGNERS REBELLION FOUR TWELVE THREE SEVEN

R

D

I K S S I N T A K Z G K W N G

S G A M W U D F F I N N I C K

S

G C V L S R I W O N S S R I R

L A G I G V S F P O D A E N K

E

P P J G N W T P S I F G S N F

Y I R H I N R R R L P N S A A

A

R T U T L D I I E L A O P L R

Z A O N H Z C M N E N S S I K

R

I L F I P I T U G B E I F F E

B T L N R H S T I E M O N J H

C

08974997923

E K E G O C O T S R C P P E G

E O A T M R O S E V E N P H A

T E E R H T G V D P E E T A L

E G A E J O H A N N A N N I E

E V L E W T M H A Y M I T C H

MOKOKCHUNG:

ACROSS 1. Wise men 5. Drench 10. Sitcom set in Korea 14. Black, in poetry 15. Made a mistake 16. Countertenor 17. Oceans 18. 100th anniversary 20. Lively tempo 22. Cuddle 23. C 24. Units of force 25. Countless 32. Darlings 33. French for “After” 34. Ribonucleic acid 37. Balcony section 38. Fat 39. Caribou 40. N N N N 41. French for “Room” 42. Gentlewoman 43. Star-gazing place 45. Creep 49. East southeast 50. Deletion 53. Subjugate 57. Be grateful for 59. Distinctive flair

60. Chat 61. Follow as a result 62. Auctioned 63. Visual organs 64. Step 65. Views

DOWN 1. Plateau 2. Cain’s brother 3. Objective 4. Vulnerable 5. Edict 6. Chocolate cookie 7. A large vase 8. Collections 9. Biblical garden 10. Squalid 11. Set straight 12. Not fresh 13. Gaps 19. Naked models 21. Precious stones 25. Doing nothing 26. A noble gas 27. Badgers 28. Train tracks 29. Big name in computers 30. A thorny stem 31. Directed 34. Start over

35. Close 36. Ground forces 38. Chemist’s workplace 39. Timeless 41. Figure out 42. Catholic church service 44. Superficiality 45. Wooden box 46. Indemnify 47. Enough 48. Labors 51. Cards with 1 symbol 52. Fluff 53. Decorative case 54. Found in some lotions 55. Sheltered spot 56. Terminates 58. An Old Testament king Ans to CrossWord 2930

DIMAPUR: 03862-232201/101 (O) 9436601225 (OC) CHUMUKEDIMA: 03862-282777/101 (O) WOKHA: 03860-242215 (O) 9402643782 MOKOKCHUNG: 0369-2226225/101 (O) 9856872011 (OC) PHEK: 03865-223838/101 (O) 9436012949 (OC)

TUENSANG: 03861-220256/101 (O) 8974322879 MON: 03869-290629/101 (O) 9856248962/ 9612805461 (OC)

Toll free No. 1098 childline

H

KOHIMA: 0370-2222952/101 (O) 9436062098 (OC)

ZUNHEBOTO: 03867-220444/101 (O) 9856158740 (OC)

CHILD WELFARE COMMITTEE

W

FIRE STATIONS

STD CODE: 0369

Police Station 1: Police Station 2 :

2226241 2226214

Civil Hospital: Woodland Nursing Home: Hotel Metsüpen (Tourist Lodge):

2226216 2226263 2226373/2229343

TAHAMzAM (formerly Senapati) STD CODE: 03871 Police Station: Fire Brigade

222246 222491

CHEVROLET CARS PRICE JULY ‘2014 CAR MODELS

STARTING PRICE

SPARK 1.0 MCE

3,38,705/-

BEAT 1.2 (PETROL)

3,91,493/-

BEAT 1.0 (DIESEL)

4,77,441/-

SAIL U-VA 1.2 (PETROL)

4,23,265/-

SAIL U-VA 1.3 (DIESEL)

5,33,999/-

SAIL 1.2 (PETROL)

5,03,799/-

SAIL 1.3 (DIESEL)

6,34,665/-

ENJOY 1.4 (PETROL)

5,53,163/-

ENJOY 1.3 (DIESEL)

6,73,963/-

CRUZE 2.0 LT

13,96,498/-

CAPTIVA 2.2 LT

22,66,213/-

* CONDITION APPLY *3 YEARS / 100,000 KMS WARRANTY * FOR PETROL *CASHLESS OWNERSHIP MAINTENANCE OFFER

For details & Test drive Contact: Urban Station, Near NSC Petrol Pump, 6th Mile Dimapur. Ph No : 240994 CURRENCY ExCHANGE CURRENCY NOTES BUY(Rs) SELL(Rs) US Dollars Sterling Pound Hong Kong Dollar Australian Dollar Singapore Dollar Canadian Dollar Japanese Yen Euro

59.85 101.67 7.7 56.14 47.77 55.86 58.78

60.24 102.81 7.78 56.95 48.34 56.54 59.49

81.28

82.17

LOCAL

The Morung Express

Wednesday 2 July 2014

The Rio years in perspective

Continued from page 1

Efforts towards gender, economic development Neiphiu Rio began on a promising note vis-à-vis women’s empowerment. “The women’s development department was started during his tenure.

In 2007, the Nagaland State Women’s Commission was launched—women thought we will see changes,” says Rosemary. “His biggest drawback was he could not stand by his positions, which eventually pushed the women to court. He was part of a political party that is patriarchal with its party president completely against reservation,” she continues. “If given a free hand, he might have done more for women but he missed the bus as a policy maker due to his party belonging, caught up with tribal politics.”

Venüsa, skeptical of Rio’s contribution to the above factors, feels that “circumstances have favored him more as far as peace and political stability are concerned.”

Rosemary points out that the “plus point” of Rio’s leadership was the infrastructure development of government offices in the state capital. “Most Directorate buildings came up during Rio’s tenure—government infrastructure was put in place,” the activist observes, but “public amenities like transport, health suffered— while bringing much laughter and joy to the Naga public, benefits to the rural people were denied.”

The failure to provide good roads, safe drinking water and equal opportunity for all is cited

as an instance by Robin. “Basic amenities were never part of his developmental programs and the glaring mess left behind after 10 years of rule is without any excuses.”

Robin goes on to point out that Rio’s most “glaring failure” lies in the lack of economic development of the State. According to Robin, having understood the underlying economic problem of Nagaland State being “a consumer society” (as stated by Rio), his 10 years of rule failed to put the State on the road to economy recovery.

Neglect towards education Another disappointment, according to some, is the failure during Rio’s reign to overhaul the educational policy of the State.

“The three Fs- finance, faculty and facilities are in a mess. Most glaring is seen in the government-run schools and colleges.

Despite the pathetic result year after year, the complete apathy of Rio’s government, apart from giving lip service, is amusing.”

Lorin says that “Rio did not focus enough on Higher Education or take enough cognizance of the role of local private institutes in developing the Education Sector.” “Nagaland College Principals’ Forum (NCPF) (during his tenure as its President) was not granted even one appointment with him when the Forum members wanted to discuss the education scenario with him,” Lorin discloses.

According to Lorin, the representation to the then CM in 2010 had pointed out that Budget allocation and its spending

on Higher Education was the lowest amongst 24 States of the Indian Union at 0.49% compared the top, West Bengal was 1.77%.

“The absence of even a response sort of reflected the government’s apathy to long term welfare for the people of the State,” says the educationist.

No headway on Naga political issue While public perception seems to be favorable regarding Rio’s support and contribution towards the Naga political issue, many of those the Morung Express spoke to thought otherwise. According to Kekhrie Rio’s performance on the Naga political issue is not different from the vote-bank politics seen in the 1970s. Lorin on the other hand feels that “there is nothing new” and that as a facilitator, “there has been no breakthrough and his role has been insignificant.”

Venüsa also agrees that “no concrete or visible action has been taken by him.”

However during Rio’s tenure, “one can see more participation on the part of the general public on Naga political issue,” says Venüsa and pointing out that Rio did encourage organizations like FNR, hohos, churches, civil societies, etc., to initiate more dialogues with the national workers.

Rosemary also points out how he was supportive of Nagas in other states as well.

Positive contributions While criticisms may abound for those holding political office, contributions and successes have also been acknowledged. As

the Chief Secretary of Nagaland Banuo Z. Jamir noted during the State Send-Off Dinner program, some of the notable contributions include: promotion of Hornbill festival through which Naga textiles, design and cuisine are in the process of becoming global; the re-definition of youth; entrepreneurship and capacity-building; creation of departments such as Women Resource Development and Department of Underdeveloped Areas; the reorientation of the perspective of rural Nagaland by initiatives such as the Agri Expo and the creation of the Mahila IR battalion.

Further, according to Venüsa, Rio’s attempt to promote “political and cultural relations with others –foreign nations like Myanmar, Thailand, Korea, etc – is laudable. This makes him stand out from his predecessors. He even tried to rope in Naga talents from overseas to think collectively about the issues and challenges facing the Nagas, political and otherwise,” Venüsa says.

And according to Robin, “Rio’s successful campaign in clipping the extra- constitutional powers enjoyed by the Governors of Nagaland for 50 years, as super chief ministers…will go down in history as one of his biggest achievements.” Also for Robin, one of Rio’s biggest contributions during his tenure was expanding NPF outside Nagaland and projecting himself as a pan-Naga leader.

“Though he may have his own political agenda, (he was) perhaps the first person to build an image of being a leader of a wider Naga family,” Robin points out,

adding, “Rio always seemed to be ten steps ahead of everyone, his greatest strength!”

Conclusion “Many things have been left unresolved and unwell, including the pitiable condition of the State’s finances, greater than ever evidence of social unrest, economic disparity and development bottlenecks, all of which stem from flaws in policy and leadership,” says the Consulting Editor of Morung Express. “At the same time credit where due has to be given for the new thinking and orientation that defined the Rio years,” he adds.

“He must go beyond boundaries of tribe and constituency, be more approachable and accessible as an MP,” suggests Rosemary. “It is not important to get a ministerial berth but more important how he presents issues of the State in parliament. Not only the political conflict but gender issues, violence, discrimination of Nagas outside, economic development, look east policy, bringing IIMs and IITs or AIIMS to Nagaland—that could be his big contribution.”

As appropriately put by Dr. Lorin “…there are many problems in Naga society and many of them cannot be solved overnight... however with the resources Rio had and the length of his tenure, he could have and should have accomplished much more…just like Bihar was changed in such a short time, Nagaland was ripe for a leader of his stature to do the same here.”

(Feedback and opinions can be sent to consultingeditormex@gmail.com)

Three retires from Excise department Response to MTLT’s statement DIMAPUR, JULY 1 (MExN): The Nagaland Excise department bid farewell to its two senior most officers Bendangtoshi Ao, Additional Commissioner of Excise and Alem Ao, Deputy Commissioner of Excise and Indra Bahadur Thapa, driver who

retired with effect from June 30. The farewell function was held in the Excise Directorate Office on July 1 under the chairmanship of Pitongse Sangtam, Deputy Commissioner of Excise, which was attended by all officers and staff, and superintendents of

Excise from all districts.

Maongwati Aier, IAS, Commissioner of Excise and representative of Excise Field Staff Association, district officers etc. delivered speeches. Lanuwati Jamir, Assistant Commissioner of Excise (Admin) proposed vote of thanks.

YAA condemns killing of GPRN/NSCN cadre TUENsANg, JULY 1 (MExN): Yimchunger Akheru Arihako (YAA) has vehemently condemned the “cold blooded murder” of Maj. Athong Yimchunger of GPRN/NSCN, who was allegedly killed by NSCN (IM) on July 1 at Jessami (Manipur) outpost. In a condemnation note, YAA president Akiuba and vice president John Kips said whatever the reason of killing late Maj Athong, the organization was “deeply hurt” and termed the

bloodshed “barbaric and unacceptable in the so called civilized Naga society.”

YAA asserted that the incident was a setback to the long efforts of a meaningful reconciliation amongst Naga political groups. It further stated that targeting each other as enemy and killing own brethren will not contribute anything to the vexed Naga political but will aggravate more hatred and divisiveness among "us".

YAA while calling upon the right thinking citizens to condemn such violence and bloodshed in “our” land further appealed to all the factions to desist from killings and shun bloodsheds to uphold the true spirit of reconciliation and brotherhood among Nagas. YAA also expressed heartfelt condolences and extended solidarity to the bereaved family members and prayed that God grant them solace at the hour of grief and sorrow.

NCSU Phek hits out at NFHRCC PhEK, JULY 1 (MExN): Nagaland Contractors’ and Suppliers’ Union (NCSU) Phek district has outrightly condemned the “outrageous and uncivilized behavior” of NFHRCC “for unnecessary harassment meted out to PWD (R&B) department and Minister Kuzholuzo Nienu.” NCSU Phek in a statement reiterated that the department and the minister have done the right thing

in floating open tender as per government standing order and subsequent award of contract work to the most eligible contractor needs to be appreciated by one and all. The union through its president Kuzhoseyi Alex and vice president Merhaso also asserted that “unrecognized committee harassing R&B department and demanding public apology from the minister for non award of backdoor

Agri dept holds training on SRI in Mokokchung MoKoKchUNg, JULY 1 (DIPR): The Department of Agriculture, Mokokchung conducted a farmers’ training on System of Rice Intensification (SRI) under National Food Security Mission at DAO’s conference hall, Mokokchung on June 24. Altogether 40 farmers attended the training programme.

Sanenpfu Magh, DAO, in his keynote address encouraged the farmers calling them local scientists with less expression and more impression. He stated that the SRI technique was discovered after a thorough research to meet the ends between the decreasing

producers, i.e farmers and increasing consumers. He thus encouraged the farmers to adopt the technique without hesitation.

During the technical session, Dr. Lanunochetla (SMS) highlighted on the importance of lime and micronutrients; use of High Yielding and short duration varieties; crop rotation of rice followed by pulses; use of Roban for rodent management. A PowerPoint presentation on SRI technology was given, followed by discussion during which the farmers shared their views and experiences. Conoweeders and other inputs were distributed to the farmers.

contract work to the members is way too extreme and unreasonable.” Therefore, NCSU Phek has asked the committee to “refrain from acting ridiculously as they have become a laughing stock before the people.”

NCSU Phek has also conveyed its appreciation to the department and minister concerned for standing firm and honouring NCSU Head Office’s directive of open tender policy, and further stated that the union will extend full support and whole hearted cooperation to the department and minister at all times to come.

MoKoKchUNg, JULY 1 (MExN): In response to the press statement of Mokokchung Town Lanur Telongjem (MTLT) demanding unconditional apology from Minister Nuklutoshi to the Ao community, NPF Central office bearers, Mokokchung division Incharge have stated “an unconditional apology to Ao community from the Minister concerned does not arise.”

Relating the sequence of events that took place inside the NPF Mokokchung office on June 27, the office bearers in a statement said the Minster along with the central office NPF Mkg incharge had convened an emergency meeting of party leaders in Mokokchung which included all NPF Central Office party workers from Mkg division and frontal wings at 11:00 am on the day. The meeting was called not only to assist the prevailing situation within NPF Mkg division, but also to

interact with the remaining party workers and explore further necessary steps, said the statement appended by Aolepden (Vice President), Anungba Imsong (General Secretary), and Nungsang Jamir (Secretary).

“However, to disrupt the genuine NPF party meeting, the so called MDNPFF (which has been disowned by the NPF Central Office press statement) had called a meeting at 9:00 am on the same day at the same NPF Office Hall. But apparently, their meeting failed.”

According to the statement, when the Minister in-charge appeared for the actual meeting, some miscreants entered inside the meeting hall and challenged him to call off the meeting. “When he tried to reason and explain the purpose of the meeting, those disgruntled group led by Lipokmeren and Imtimongba along with few others and tried to physically assault the Minister by pulling down

the table, breaking and throwing furniture on him and pelting stones from outside,” it alleged. “He reacted to defend himself from their physical harm.

Hearing the commotion inside the meeting hall, SP Mokokchung rushed in but he was also harmed by throwing rubbish bin on him and damaging his vehicle glass panes,” it added.

The “trouble makers” were later removed without any harm from the NPF office premises and to prevent such unprovoked mischief, the district administration imposed Section 144 Cr PC as a precautionary measures, it stated, adding the meeting proceeded as planned.

The statement further suggested that the MTLT being a social-apolitical organisation should stay away from the activities of political parties, while saying the MTLT should refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of NPF party.

National Statistics Day celebrated KohIMA, JULY 1 (MExN): The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), Field Operations Division (FOD), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Govt. of India, Regional Office Kohima celebrated 8th National Statistics Day on June 29 at the office. It is celebrated all over the country on the day coinciding with the birth anniversary of Late. Professor P.C. Mahalanobis. The theme for the celebration was “Ser-

vice Sector Statistics”.

Imlirenla Longchar, Asstt. Professor, Kohima Science College, Department of Statistics was invited to be the resource person, but due to unavoidable circumstances she could not attend, but her prepared message was read out in the celebration, informed Director MM Singh in a release. She highlighted the importance of Service Sector Statistics in the field of economic and planning policies of the nation. A good number of students

from Kohima Science College, Jotsoma participated in the celebration, the note informed.

M.M Singh presented the Keynote address and encouraged the participating students to study Statistics well and become good statistician in their career.

The most interesting events, the release said, were the quiz competition and prize distribution for the same. Three teams were formed for the competition.

IPR bids farewell to outgoing officers and staff KohIMA, JULY 1 (DIPR): The Directorate of Information & Public Relations bid farewell to four outgoing officers and staff at a function held at its conference hall on June 30.

Director, IPR, Imokokba who exhorted and gave a farewell speech congratulated the outgoing staff for their achievement and selfless service rendered to the department. He also showered praises on the retiring officers and described them as dedicated and sincere officers and asked the staff to emulate them.

Director, IPR, Imokokba (extreme left) with retiring officers during the farewell programme of four outgoing IPR officers and staff held on June 30. (DIPR Photo)

All the outgoing officers programme in their honalso expressed their happi- our and urged the serving ness for organizing such staff to work unitedly with

respect for their senior officers. The officers who retired were Kiyeto Sema (Accounts Officer), Yeshito Sema (Registrar), Ayamo Lotha (Assistant Superintendent), and Kole-e (UDA).

Additional Director, Pausui Zeliang, Deputy Director, Tokishe Sema and Superintendent S. Chongloi also spoke on the occasion. The programme was chaired by Joint Director Limawati while invocation was pronounced by Deputy Director Dzüvinuo Theünuo.

Dimapur

5

MEx FILE RHD clarifies DIMAPUR, JULY 1 (MExN): The Rengma Hoho Dimapur (RHD) appealed for the Nagaland state government and the Nagaland Foothill Co-ordination Committee (NFHRCC) to “amicably settle” their differences and resume the construction of the Foothill Road at the earliest. A press note from the RHD Vice President, Shahi Kent and General Secretary, Mishak Jemu further clarified that the RHD President’s statement, published on July 1, “was not in consultation with the executive councils.” “Therefore the news item claiming the Rengma Hoho Dimapur unit, applauding the volunteer or questioning the contract work being awarded to any individual or firms does not arise,” it stated

KPC condemns assault on journalist KohIMA, JULY 1 (MExN): The Kohima Press Club (KPC) has strongly condemned the assault on a journalist during the Dimapur bandh on June 30 by unidentified persons. In a press release, the KPC stated that it is highly unfortunate that on many occasions like bandhs, journalists on duty are targeted for no reason. Expressing concern that such unruly actions, if continued, will detriment the freedom of the press, the KPC urged upon the responsible authorities to conduct a swift investigation and bring those responsible to justice.

CSU consultative meeting KohIMA, JULY 1 (MExN): The Chakhesang Students’ Union (CSU) has convened a consultative meeting regarding Chakhesang indigenous inhabitants on July 5, 10:00 am at Chakhesang Baptist Church, Jubilee Hall, Kitsubozou Kohima. Therefore, CSU general secretary Ngapunyi Krocha has requested the presence of all Chakhesang legislators, Chakhesang frontal organizations, seniors, senior student leaders and all concerned to the meeting.

Chief engineer (PWD) on subcontracting works KohIMA, JULY 1 (MExN): Regarding M/s Ratna Infrastructure Projects Pvt. Ltd subcontracting works for the project “widening to 2 laning of Longleng – Changtongya road, Mon-Tamlu-Merangkong road, Phek-Pfutsero road and Zunheboto –Chakabama road” under SARDP-NE, Chief Engineer of PWD, Nagaland has stated that as per official record, the said work has been awarded to M/s Maytas-Gayatri (JV) and the department is in agreement with the latter firm only. “The department has no agreement or any knowledge of M/s Ratna Infrastructure Projects Pvt. Ltd," stated Er. V Kehie in a release. “It is also to be mentioned that as per the contract agreement, M/s Maytas-Gayatri may subcontract the work up to a limit specified in contract data with the approval of the employer in writing which is not the case.” Hence, he cautioned, any contractor dealing in such matter will be at the contractor’s own risk.

PVSU condoles WoKhA, JULY 1 (MExN): Pongidong Village Students’ Union (PVSU) has mourned the demise of Tsenimo Emungri (DIS Retd.) on June 28 at his residence in Wokha. PVSU in a condolence message said that the deceased served the union as general secretary in 1965-66. “In his demise the union has lost a visionary leader who worked tirelessly for the uplift of the mass,” it stated. “A man distinguished by his truthfulness and straight forwardness.” The union further prayed for the departed soul and the bereaved family members that God will grant them solace.

Upgradation of GHS to GHSS KohIMA, JULY 1 (DIPR): The Government of Nagaland, Department of School Education has upgraded the following twenty Government High Schools to Government Higher Secondary Schools under School Education with immediate effect vide Notification No. DSE/CAB/HSE-UPGR/2012-13 Dated Kohima June 20, 2014. This notification was in pursuance of the clearance accorded by P&AR and Finance Departments and approval of the cabinet. Arts - GHSS Chiechama, Chiephobozou; GHSS John Viswema; GHSS Tuli; GHSS Mangkolemba; GHSS Shamator; GHSS Longkhim; GHSS Naginimora; GHSS Pfutsero; GHSS Meluri; GHSS Chukitong; GHSS Aghunato; GHSS Satakha; GHSS Medziphema; GHSS Peren; GHSS Longleng; GHSS Kiphire; and GHSS Pungro. Arts and Commerce - GHSS Jotsoma; GHSS N.I Jamir; and GHSS Thangjam.

Child protection unit office shifted in Dimapur DIMAPUR, JULY 1 (MExN): The District Child Protection Unit Office, Dimapur has been shifted from 6th Mile to 3rd Mile, near Chekiye village gate, at Satakha Town Baptist Church building, 1st floor, opposite Smooth Sail Enterprises. This was informed in a press release issued by District Child Protection Officer Pikato Muru.

ANEFWA appeals for pending salary DIMAPUR, JULY 1 (MExN): The All Nagaland Electricity Field Workers Association (ANEFWA) has fervently appealed the higher authority concerned to release the four months (March to June 2014) pending salary of work-charged employees under power department at the earliest “considering the plight of work-charged employees serving the public citizens day and night and also performing indeed the riskiest duty.” In a press statement, ANEFWA president Kelhousevi and general secretary Ayeto underlined that the work-charged employees who have no other means of income source and solely dependent on their salary can no longer serve the public and citizens of the state without getting their due salary in time. “Work charged employees too have their families and bellies like any other employees in the state.”

6

IN-FOCUS

The Power of Truth

The Morung Express WEDnEsDAy 2 July 2014 volumE IX IssuE 179

An Imperative

F

reedom, Justice and Development when seen in the abstract can be quite easily misconceived as end products. Yet, for human societies that are in constant transformation, these values are not an end, but a means towards a shared future.

In the present global context, the existing confusion of democracy seems to lie in the problem that it is often being presented as nothing more than a form of the state itself, which is reduced to “occasional electoral poll with secret ballots and multiple contending political parties.” A state-centric understanding of democracy often leads to conditions that foster a tyranny of the majority coupled with structural violence. The post-colonial experience in many contexts within Asia and Africa has shown that their experiment with democracy is restricted to nothing more than a form of the state itself. Such confusions and restrictions has complicated and compromised the values of freedom, justice and development of all peoples.

It therefore is imperative to recover the understanding of democracy as an attitude, a cultural disposition that promotes pluralism, respect, dialogue and inclusion, rather than limiting it to a set of institutional arrangements. For instance, the recovery of democracy and its values should lead to a transformed understanding of relationship between peoples and the States in which they live. This transformed understanding will eventually lead to more inclusive and democratic relationship where all peoples enjoy the right to decide their own future and define their own destinies. Hence, the imperative is to restore conditions of democracy as a means towards humanization.

The values of freedom, justice and development are required to be independent and yet are largely identical with the very idea of democracy. Together, they are critical towards creation of alternatives and are essential for a peoples to live and develop freely on a continuous basis. Based on this premise, it may be said that when democracy exists as nothing more than the state itself, the very values of freedom, justice and development are usurped and a status quo of hegemony is established. The democratic imperative, hence, is for the praxis of freedom, justice and development to look beyond the State, if not, it is in danger of becoming co-opted by the very system it is intended to change. For instance, the failure of former colonies like India to look beyond the State meant that an independent India continued with most of its pre-existing colonial structures and laws.

In the final analysis the values of freedom, justice and development are democratic imperatives that can only exist in conditions of real cultural pluralism and diversity that looks beyond the absolutist and monopolistic State institutions. After all, there can be no genuine democracy if the hierarchies of the State remain unquestioned and unchallenged.

lEfT WING |

Shilpa Raina IANS

An oasis in a rocky desert

S

eventy hectares of land on the foothills of the majestic Mehrangarh fort here was once a rocky wasteland, colonised by an invasive plant from Mexico known as mesquite or baavlia - the 'mad one' in local parlance - as it cannot be uprooted. But the painstaking efforts of a man and his team have transformed the land into a paradise for migratory birds, and made it home for over 300 species of trees, shrubs, climbers and herbs.

In 2006, Jodhpur's current maharaja Gaj Singh II of Mewar entrusted filmmaker and environmentalist Pradip Krishen with the mammoth task of converting this baavliadominated wasteland into a green zone.

It was Gaj Singh's great grandfather Maharaja Umaid Singh's wish to convert this arid landscape into a green zone. To attain this, Umaid Singh had taken a plane and dropped baavlia seeds all over the region, unaware of its 'dominating' streak.

Hence, the 'easy-looking' job to eradicate baavlia and restore the ecological balance of the garden by growing 'native' lithophyte - plants able to eke out a living in a rocky habitat was not an easy task for Krishen and his team.

"When we came here, the area was thickly populated with baavlia, which is notorious for its invasive nature. It isn't easy to get rid of it because it penetrates its roots deeper and spreads all around, and doesn't allow any other plant within its vicinity to grow," Krishen told IANS. After many hits and trials, Krishen cracked the code for this restoration project and called it "rewilding".

"The wild plant is like a weed that is of no use, but disrupts ecology. So to restore this system and make it bird-and-animal friendly, we have followed a systematic approach and it can be best described as rewilding," he said.

The first challenge for the team was to uproot the plant that had made the arid land and fissures in the volcanic rhyolite - a 750-million-year-old rock - its home.

"Even when we cut the first 18 inches of the plant, it would sprout again. Nothing seemed to be working," he recollected.

After all technological advances failed to uproot the plant, they opted for an unconventional 'traditional' route by having on board 'khandwaliyas', people from mining communities of Marwar whose expertise lies in cutting sandstone.

"Rhyolites are not soft like sandstone, but we had no other option. So we gave this a shot," he said.

"I still remember, when Dhan Singh (head of the khandwaliyas) first struck the rock a couple of times, and then averted his eyes. I thought something went inside his eye, till he later told me he was 'listening' to the sound the rock made," Krishen said with the same fascination he must have felt when he witnessed the episode.

"It was incredible. I call it an experience of native wisdom," he added.

What followed next was an arduous task of literally going tree by tree, slowly and patiently.

"It was one man to one bush ratio," he said, "... a painstaking dig deep down into the ground as long as one could and plant plants lineally".

After everything fell into place, the park was opened for visitors.

If visited between late July and October, naturalists will be able to spot ephemerals like rohido (maarwar teak), hingoto (desert date), kair(bare caper), kheer kheem (rambling milkweed) and spot migratory birds like Grey Heron, Marsh Harrier, Long Leg Buzzard amongst many others.

"Come here now and don't forget to come back in 10 years. There are quite a few big trees we would like to show you," he concluded.

THE EDIT PAGE

C O M M E N T A R Y

John Feffer Foreign Policy In Focus

Participatory Totalitarianism

A

ccording to the Chinese zodiac, the heavens circle around every 12 years. The Year of the Snake, the creature that sheds its skin to emerge anew, marks a time of great transformation. Indeed, for the last quarter century, the world has experienced three profound shifts at 12-year intervals, beginning with the Year of the Snake in 1989.

On June 4, 1989, on one side of the globe, Poles were participating in their first semi-free elections in more than 40 years, which—though few suspected at the time—sounded the death knell for Communism in East-Central Europe. Meanwhile, on the same day on the other side of the globe, the Chinese government was cracking down on the Tiananmen Square protests and ensuring that Communism would continue there as an official ideology for at least another 25 years.

Twelve years later, the Year of the Snake returned, and the ground shifted radically beneath our feet once again. This time, the 9/11 attacks brought the two sides of the world together as both China and Poland threw their weight behind the U.S.-led war on terror. Poland, presided over by a former Communist who’d embraced market reforms, even went so far as to host one of the “black sites” that the Bush administration set up to interrogate suspects gathered up through extraordinary rendition. China, presided over by a current Communist who’d also embraced market reforms, used the opportunity of 9/11 to ramp up operations against separatists in Xinjiang and secure “unprecedented” counter-terrorism information sharing with the United States.

And then last year, the Year of the Snake came around again, and this time it was Edward Snowden who caused a seismic shift in our understanding of everyday reality. We thought that we’d seen through the efforts of the Communist state to control our minds and the efforts of the corporate state to control our desires. But it turned out that we really didn’t know the full extent to which intelligence services and corporate entities had invaded our private spaces. Nor had we understood our own complicity in this brave new world. It wasn’t just states like Warsaw and Beijing that had joined forces with Washington against nonstate actors. We had all become informers under this new regime, whether we liked it or not.

The old metaphor for surveillance was the Panopticon: the warden, sitting at the hub of a penitentiary, could see what all the inmates were doing along the perimeter of the structure. Then came the Big Brother of the Cold War era: a state apparatus that used informers, propaganda, and interrogations to infiltrate every crevice of society.

Today’s metaphor is still Big Brother—but it’s the TV show, not the sinister presence of the George Orwell novel. In this reality TV show, the public watches what goes on inside a house fully monitored by surveillance cameras. But here’s the twist: we are both voyeurs and exhibitionists, for we have also turned the cameras on ourselves so that the surveillance can be mutual. We don’t just like to watch, like Chance the gardener in Jerzy Kosinski’s Being There. We like to be watched as well.

It’s time to update Socrates for the era of selfies and YouTube: the unwatched life is not worth living.

The novel that out-Orwells Orwell in its depiction of this new reality is The Circle by Dave Eggers, in which characters willingly wear cameras that track their every movement and broadcast to an ever-increasing number of social media followers. The novel exaggerates only slightly what we are already do-

L

abeled a “$100-million disaster” by conservative pundit Glenn Beck and banned in several countries, Darren Aronofsky’s film Noah has been stirring international controversy since its March premiere.

Even though the story of the Great Flood appears in Greek mythology and The Epic of Gilgamesh, the biblical version is perhaps the most widely known. In Genesis, God tells Noah that he plans on ridding the world of wickedness and sin by sending a colossal flood to destroy humanity.

Noah is instructed to take his wife, his three sons and their wives, and one male and female of every living creature and build an ark. There, as God instructs them, they will wait out the flood. Once the waters retreat, they are to begin humanity again.

Aronofsky, a humanist, bases his film on this premise. But save for a few biblical references, that’s where the similarities end. While the biblical story of Noah is vague on God’s reasoning for wiping out humanity, Aronofsky’s Noah makes it clear why the Creator (as he is known in the film) is going to destroy the earth: ecological devastation. So it’s no surprise that the movie has ruffled the feathers of some conservative Christians.

As in the Bible, the film traces the problem back to the fall of man.

Adam and Eve, the first humans, had

We are not passive objects of the surveillance state.

We are active subjects of our own YouTube channels ing through Facebook and Twitter and Instagram, or what is being done to us through our cell phones and our credit card purchases and our Google searches.

To rein in Big Corporations and even out the inequities of Big Politics, activists have long clamored for participatory democracy. What we didn’t expect was that Big Corporations and Big Politics would team up in what I’ve previously called the “surveillance blitz” to create a new phenomenon: participatory totalitarianism.

If we look at the three seismic shifts that have

taken place between 1989 and today, they all center around the state and its ability to maintain its authority in the post-modern world. In 1989, the Communist states failed in their effort to manage the economy through five-year plans and artificially fixed prices. In both post-Communist Poland and post-Deng China, the market became the arbiter of production and consumption, restricting the state largely to redistribution (with a bit more capacity for strategic investments in China). Privatization and austerity budgeting in the capitalist world also whittled away what remained of the welfare state’s ability to intervene in the economy. This was the neo-liberal victory in what had been an epic 20th-century war, though many skirmishes continue to this day and a second grand battle may yet take place in the wake of the global financial crisis.

In 2001, states faced a second major challenge from al-Qaeda, though more as an idea than an actual military force. Al-Qaeda is an unusual hybrid of the globalized and the localized. It grew out of a specific context (the mujahedeen’s attacks on the Soviet army in Afghanistan) and has taken on a different character in each national context where it has taken root (Yemen, Syria, North Africa). Al-Qaeda is a franchise not unlike McDonald’s, offering a universal product (a global caliphate) that can be adapted to the cultural preferences of local consumers just as McDon-

ald’s sells its well-known French fries with the McAloo Tikki burger in Mumbai or the McArabia Chicken sandwich in Doha. To use the awkward phrase from academia, al-Qaeda is a “glocalized” phenomenon. It thus has represented both a global and a local challenge to the state—offering a vision of subsuming the state into something larger and, from below, attacking the state’s monopoly on violence. It’s no wonder that states as different as Poland and China found common cause in fighting against al-Qaeda.

And now, after 2013, the state is suffering yet another challenge to its authority. After the revelations of Snowden, the sociologist Zygmunt Bauman and his colleagues point out, “It may not be going too far to suggest that what we still call national security has been colonized by a new nobility of intelligence agencies operating in an increasingly autonomous transnational arena.” National security, as the phrase suggests, has been the responsibility of the nationstate. But intelligence agencies, led by the disproportionately powerful NSA, have skirted the traditional mechanisms of the state to operate across borders and with little oversight. Members of Congress, even though many have branded Snowden a traitor, have pushed for changes in the way the NSA does business domestically. The leaders of Germany and Brazil who discovered to their dismay that they too have been punked by the NSA— U.S. spies listened in on the communications of both Angela Merkel and Dilma Rousseff—are also pushing at an international level for reform.

The state’s status has deteriorated over the decades. It no longer provides the “iron rice bowl.” Its monopoly on violence has been challenged by non-state actors, and many states have failed or are near failure as a result.

And intelligence-gathering organs have metastasized beyond the control of the traditional nation-state in order to sift through the rapidly expanding universe of global data to stop plots while they are still twinkles in the eyes of the conspirators (shades of Minority Report).

If surveillance was monaural during the Cold War and became stereophonic in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, it is now quadrophonic.

It can’t be reduced to the activity of a single state or even a particular government-industrial complex. We are all now embedded in a veritable matrix of surveillance. It has become surround sound.

In the Communist era, Hungarian writer Miklos Haraszti wrote about what he called the “velvet prison.” Under state socialism, he observed, the vast majority of artists accommodated to the strictures imposed from above. “We learn to live with discipline,” he wrote. “We are at home with it. It is a part of us, and soon we will hunger for it because we are unable to create without it.”

We are at home in the new surveillance state, for we barely register all the cameras, all the targeted advertising, all the intrusions into what had previously been considered sacred private space. We are not passive objects of observation. We are active subjects of our own YouTube channels.

This is not inevitable. States like Germany and Brazil are fighting back. Organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation are fighting back.

Whistleblowers and journalists are fighting back.

So, perhaps when the next Year of the Snake rolls around and we are preparing to shed our skin once again, we will see a shift in the other direction—toward a new economy, a new kind of politics, a new definition of security, and a new way to interact with our fellow citizens that relies on mutual solidarity and not mutual surveillance.

Noah: We Caused the Flood nathalie Baptiste three sons: Cain, Abel, and the lesser known Seth. Cain kills Abel, leaving two lineages of descendants—those of Cain and those of Seth.

Aronofsky’s Noah depicts the descendants of Cain as violent, meat-eating pillagers of the earth who no longer serve the Creator. At the beginning of the movie, all of earth’s resources have been depleted, and human beings have fallen into starvation and destitution.

The descendants of Cain have built unsustainable cities and hunted animals to near-extinction.

The protagonists of this film are Noah and his family—his wife; their sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and a young girl they rescue who will later become Shem’s wife. Unlike the descendants of Cain, these descendants of Seth still follow the word of the Creator. Noah and his family eat a meatless diet and are strict environmentalists. In one scene, Noah chastises Ham for picking a flower. They are of the earth and are meant to stay there, Noah explains, so that when the wind blows, the seeds will take them far away so that more flowers will grow.

As society spirals out of control, Noah witnesses two jarring events.

The first is a lamb being thrown into a crowd and subsequently torn apart by people hungry for the taste of meat.

The second is a man so desperate for food that he sells his young daughter for a hunk of meat to gnaw on. It’s hopeless. Society has devolved into complete madness and utter chaos.

Noah then dreams of earth’s impending doom, interpreting the dream as a command to build an ark and save all the innocents— namely the animals.

Noah even believes that as humans, he and his family must perish too. Since he failed to find wives for his two younger sons, he believes that the Creator wants his family to be the last men on earth. After they die, the animals can roam free in a bountiful, human-free planet. It raises the question: would our planet be better off without us?

If the apocalyptic chaos at the outset of Noah sounds familiar, it’s because it’s happening this very minute in nearly every part of the earth. Today, humans are causing extensive dam-

WRITE-WING

age to our planet at an alarming rate.

We’ve built huge, industrial cities that produce enormous amounts of waste.

We’ve deforested our lands and overfished our seas. And we’ve polluted the ecosystem so much that global temperatures are rising, bringing about extreme weather and—like Noah’s flood—causing the seas to rise.

Noah is nowhere near perfect— its all-white cast seems at best historically inaccurate for a movie set in biblical times. But revisionist aspects aside, the striking parallels made between the descendants of Cain and us, the planet’s inhabitants today, can’t be ignored. While international scientists have released countless reports about climate change, we’re not doing enough to combat it effectively.

An alarming number of elected officials in the United States continue to deny its very existence.

The world’s poor have already begun to feel the effects of rising sea levels and crushing droughts. If we don’t begin to make drastic changes to avert the worst damage from climate change, we’ll soon be living in a debased society like the descendants of Cain.

The movie sends a clear message: take care of the earth or the consequences will be fatal. However, we probably won’t need a higher power to destroy us—we’re already doing that on our own.

Letters to the Editor should be sent to: The morung Express, House No. 4, Duncan Bosti, Dimapur - 797112, Or –email: morung@gmail.com All letters (including those via email) should have the full name and Postal address of the sender.

Readers may please note that the contents of the articles, letters and opinions published do not reflect the outlook of this paper nor of the Editor in any form.

PERSPECTIVE

7 5 Reasons Why I Refuse to Watch the World Cup

WEDNEsDAy

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

2 JUly 2014

S

NEWS ANALYSIS, FEATURE AND DISCOURSE

sonali Kolhatkar TruthDig

occer (or football, as the rest of the world refers to it) is the most popular sport globally.

But can you love the game while hating the World Cup? The 2014 World Cup tournament in Brazil has attracted record numbers of American viewers, with reports of 23 million people having tuned in to a single match between the U.S. and Portugal alone.

Worldwide, the numbers are expected to be even more staggering over the course of the entire tournament, given that half the planet tuned in to the last World Cup in 2010.

Still, I refuse to watch, and here’s why:

1. It is a corporate feeding frenzy It is precisely because of the lucrative access to billions of eyeballs that the World Cup has evolved into a glorified delivery system of advertising from some of the world’s biggest corporations such as Coca-Cola, Visa, Budweiser, Microsoft, Volkswagen, Adidas, Marriott and Johnson & Johnson. FIFA (The Fédération Internationale de Football Association), the main governing body that organizes the World Cup, has come under intense scrutiny for its controversial, high-stakes approach to the multibillion-dollar business of soccer. This year’s World Cup is expected to generate a whopping $4 billion in revenue, with the majority coming from marketing and TV rights. That is 66 percent more than the last World Cup. Advertisers are frothing at the mouth over the World Cup having “the power to be the most talked about subject in social media, ever,” according to a Johnson & Johnson representative. As one CocaCola executive told The New York Times, plans for advertising began three years ago, because of “the opportunity it offers” in that “the World Cup is the world’s biggest sporting event.” Coke is attempting to equate its sugary, diabetes-inducing drink with soccer, because apparently, “Coke is everyone’s drink, and football is everyone’s sport.”

Even the players themselves are living, breathing vehicles for delivering advertisements, with one sports magazine ranking Brazilian player Neymar, as the most “marketable” athelete in the world. Marriott has signed deals with players Omar Gonzalez and Alexi Lalas, branding them as “Defenders of Travel.”

2. It is ridiculously expensive, has worsened poverty, fostered mass displacement and resulted in the deaths of workers Like most other major international sporting events, the World Cup comes with a set of financial infrastructure demands that displace people and turn government priorities upside down, all in the service of the international Sports Industrial Complex.

Nowhere has this been more evident than in host Brazil, where protests in the run-up to the games had “become an almost daily occurrence,” The Guardian reported last June when more than a million Brazilians demonstrated in 80 cities. A massive subway strike in the metropolis of Sao Paolo threatened to bring all transportation to a standstill. The Guardian added: “Many protesters are furious that the government is spending 31bn reals [more than $15 billion USD] to set the stage for a one-time global tournament, while it has failed to address everyday problems closer to home.”

Additionally, hundreds of thousands of poor Brazilians have been driven out of their homes in the favelas in the name of the World Cup. And a total of nine workers have died in Brazil over the course of the stadium-building frenzy to satisfy FIFA’s conditions.

Meanwhile, plans are underway for the 2022 World Cup tournament, which is to be held in the Gulf Arab state of Qatar. Qatar’s construction labor force consists of hundreds of thousands of migrant workers from primarily South Asian countries. Given how many hundreds of workers routinely die each year while laboring on construction sites in Qatar, one investigation estimates that 4,000 workers may die from FIFA stadium construction alone. Fittingly, The Nation magazine’s Dave Zirin, in a new book and in ongoing reports on the 2014 World Cup, has maintained that the World Cup has turned into “a tool for neoliberal plunder.”

Fans of the game say it is possible to be critical of FIFA while loving the World Cup matches, but that is analogous to claiming one is a fan of the circus while heaping hate on Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.

It is the very fan base of this single tournament that keeps the pressure on to make the World Cup such a

W

hen a child goes missing in this central Ugandan district, villagers beat drums into a pulsing rhythm that sends rescuers scampering through bushes. Others, riding motorcycles, try to block exit routes.

In response to the kidnappings and ritual killings of children here, the traumatized community has created a rudimentary but effective abduction alert system that has saved at least two children so far this year.

Although the problem of children being killed as human sacrifices is reported in several parts of Uganda, Buikwe has gained notoriety recently as the country's witchcraft capital. One in three households here keeps a shrine — a thatched hut in which so-called witchdoctors can be consulted — a frightening statistic that explains the prevalence of superstitious practices that threaten the lives of many children and even adults. Some traditional healers use body parts to make potions for success in business and love, or to cure people of ailments.

The widespread fear of murder is why civic groups believe this fishing community on the shores of Lake Victoria can be mobilized for change.

Eight children have been abducted and ritualistically killed in Buikwe this year, their mutilated bodies dumped in bushes and sugarcane plantations, according to local officials.

Across Uganda at least 729 children were abducted in 2013, according to a

Riot police arrest an Anti-World Cup demonstrator near Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Saturday, June 28, 2014. Demonstrators protested the money spent on the international soccer tournament and demanded better public services. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

parasitic institution, and watching the games legitimizes the institution, not just the sport.

3. It is nationalist, and by extension, racist Like most high-profile international sporting events, the World Cup relies on fans identifying with their nations, many literally painting their faces the colors of their respective flags. As a child, the favorite sport of my family and friends was cricket, and that sport’s major tournaments are tainted by a similarly nationalist fervor.

Friends from different countries whose teams played one another, such as India and Pakistan, would routinely undermine their friendships in favor of nationalist rivalries when the matches began. I hated seeing that animosity in the context of cricket, and it is no less disgusting to watch this year’s World Cup generate similar feuds.

True, in some cases, nationalist pride can help a country overcome internal political issues as last year’s Afghan soccer team showed. But since when is a soccer team’s unity a good enough substitute for real peace in a nation where decades of war has destroyed institutions, fostered grinding poverty and created a nexus for violence?

Nationalist tendencies among soccer fans are also on display when historical political relations are challenged on the field. Foreign Policy points out how “international football has few features more defining than the grudge match: that contest where the opponents brought together have a particularly seething historical enmity.” While it is certainly satisfying to see the team of a former colony beat its onetime colonial master on a soccer field, a World Cup match is simply not a good enough substitute for real justice.

Nationalism is based on the premise that one’s country is superior to others’—a sentiment consistent with racism. It should come as no surprise then, that the nationalist fervor of the World Cup has brought out the racists in full force, as seen at Russia’s match against South Korea and Croatia’s game against Brazil. During both those contests, neo-Nazis in the crowd displayed fascist symbols on their banners. Two Argentine soccer fans were reportedly arrested for taunting Brazilian players as “little monkeys.” And perhaps most egregious of all are the instances of German fans wearing blackface to mimic Ghanaian players at a match between the two countries. In all these examples, it has been the fans who were responsible rather than FIFA, which claims it has a zero-tolerance policy on racism.

4. It is a celebration of manhood. By extension, it generates sexism and homophobia It is an obvious fact but worth stating anyway. Billions of women, men and children around the world are watching a total of 736 men (32 teams of 23 players each) kick a ball around a field. Yes, Women’s World Cup soccer is popular too, but not nearly as popular as men’s. In fact, note that the men’s team grabs the default name of “World Cup,” while the women’s version of the same sport is qualified by their gender.

One female journalist writing in The Guardian newspaper said, “Men’s football is loved ... simply because the players are men, and men like watching other men play football, and what men like to do and like to watch is, de facto, culturally important. Even the fact the men’s World Cup is not explicitly stated to be a men’s competition erases women.”

Women comprise only three out of 28 members on FIFA’s executive committee, and one survey of women working in the world of soccer found a whopping two-thirds of respondents said they had experienced gender discrimination in the workplace.

As a result of the sport being almost exclusively the domain of men, it often generates patriarchal and sexist fervor. World Cup advertising tends to target mostly men by playing up sexist stereotypes. Some of the advertising seen during this year’s World Cup includes, The Independent notes, a “rash of regressive marketing campaigns, apparently from the imagination of 1950s ad men,” “a talking beach towel that leers at women in skimpy bikinis” and women who are “generally cast as either nags or window dressing.”

It should come as no surprise that World Cup soccer fever also encourages Internet memes like this Twitter image of “Rules for Women During the World Cup” that includes the decree, “You are welcome to watch the game with me as long as you are SILENT.” One study of three of the past World Cup tournaments found that incidents of domestic violence significantly spiked during the tournament, especially when male fans’ favorite teams lost.

Suzanne Martin, a lecturer at the University of London, wrote, “there must be a particularly base version of masculinity that’s espoused in the football experience. Football provides a context in which gang culture dominates and women are viewed as trophies and commodities.”

In fact, World Cup camera operators constantly hunt the crowds at games to profile attractive female fans, as this sports blog describes: “The camera operators of the 2014 FIFA World Cup have two jobs: Document the soccer tournament for the benefit of fans all over the world, and pick out attractive women in the stands—because sports are entertaining enough, but it doesn’t hurt to throw in a little cheesecake from time to time.”

Hand in hand with the testosterone-laden culture of the World Cup is homophobia, as evidenced most dramatically in a recent match between Mexico and Cameroon when Mexican fans chanted the derogatory homophobic word “puta” against the Cameroon team. The use of the word was defended by the Mexican team’s coach as “not that bad” and a term that should be accepted because “it’s something [fans] do to pressure the opposing goalkeeper.”

5. It is a distraction from things that actually matter Workplaces, coffeehouses, restaurants, bars and even doctors’ offices are tuned in to World Cup soccer matches these days. At my own workplace, staff members shout and yell up and down the hallways during games. At my local coffeehouse, the TV is permanently set to ESPN while customers stare up at the screen and pound their fists into the air during near hits and misses. My Facebook feeds are dominated by capitalized exclamations of the latest breathtaking goals.

Meanwhile, in the past week alone, Iraq is spiraling out of control. Israel has launched airstrikes on Syria. Nigeria’s government has given up the search for hundreds of kidnapped girls. Afghanistan’s elections are wracked by fraud. Thousands of undocumented children from Central American countries are being housed in horrendous conditions in the U.S. Three people were executed in Georgia, Missouri and Florida within 24 hours. Thousands of residents in Detroit have had their water supplies cut off.

But most Americans, like people the world over, are fixated on the World Cup. That is not to say they would be mulling social injustice were it not for the tournament. However, the games offer a soothing salve in which the worst thing that can happen is that your favorite team loses. Ultimately the World Cup is nothing more than a commercial extravaganza infused with elevated levels of nationalism, racism, and misogyny, and honestly acknowledging that puts the spectacle into a much-needed perspective.

So I refuse to watch the World Cup. Some of the reasons I list here are similar to why I refuse to also watch the Olympics, Super Bowl or any one of the world’s moneyed high-profile sporting events. Based on the responses I have gotten from friends who are avid World Cup fans, I expect this list will generate howls of anger and vociferous defenses of the tournament. What I don’t expect is for soccer mania to wane anytime soon. The lure is just too strong, the emotional stakes too high.

Drum alarms to rescue abducted children Rodney Muhumuza Associated Press Ugandan police report that also cited a 39 percent increase in crimes against children over the previous year.

The village alert system is the best model to stop the abduction of children without actively stigmatizing traditional healers, some of whom are not involved in the killings, said Obed Byamugisha, of the aid group World Vision, who is working with local officials to stop the killings. The alert system makes child sacrifice "a concern of all the citizens," said Byamugisha. The group has distributed many drums and megaphones that are now mounted atop poles in shopping centers across Buikwe, and more are planned.

A tearful mother, Juliet Nabirye, described to The Associated Press how one January evening a former boyfriend stole her four-year-old son and told her to "forget about the child because you will never see him again."

The man, an itinerant with no known home, had a history of criminal behavior and authorities believed the boy was in serious danger. So they drummed alerts and mounted a pub-

lic campaign to find the child until the man released the boy to strangers who then handed him over to the police.

In another case, a boy was rescued just as his abductors had started to behead him. He has since had surgery to repair injured nerves around his neck, according to Byamugisha. Some families have not been so lucky.

The decomposing remains of a sixyear-old girl were found scattered in a cassava plantation earlier this month.

The rescue team had arrived several days late, local leaders said, in part because the girl's family did not immediately report her as missing. One recent afternoon, village chairman Samuel Bbosa pointed to the spot where the girl's remains were discovered and said he regretted that she had not been found alive.

Instead, he recalled, frustrated members of the search team turned violent, turning on a man some suspected of the killing, demolishing his home and trying to burn him alive, even though there was no evidence linking him to the crime.

"This shows that the community needs to stay alert," Bbosa said of mob

justice. "Maybe this would not have happened if we had taken action quickly."

The village alert system, if embraced by most residents and is widely seen to work, may eliminate the urge among some to carry out vigilante violence, said Byamugisha, the World Vision official.

Residents have formed "village alert committees," groups of men and women who meet certain days to discuss their response to child abductions and other crimes. Working closely with civic groups and the police, they meet residents to lecture them on safety matters. Children are encouraged to walk to and from school in groups, said Charles Okuta, a committee member who described ritual murder as a demand-driven phenomenon fuelled by "primitive beliefs" about wealth creation. Even fathers, he said, have been suspected of involvement in the disappearance of their own children.

Children hiking through bushes on their way to and from school are at serious risk in rural areas. Boys are more vulnerable to attacks because, unlike most girls, their ears are not pierced. For the most severe ailments or problems, witchdoctors are said to demand the body parts of children without skin blemishes, scars or piercings, according to civic leaders and residents. Yet even girls wearing earrings have been taken and killed in recent times, rendering a previously protective measure unreliable, Byamugisha said.

"It has opened their eyes," he said of the alert system. "They now realize that (child sacrifice) is a problem to us all."

The Newspaper with an Opinion The Morung Express

Child marriage, domestic violence, female foeticide are issues widespread across India today – all of which challenge the notion of women empowerment.

Sadly, women in the 21st century continue to face discrimination in both subtle and explicit ways owing to the manner in which society views women. Through helpless and frustrated instances of gender biased treatment sometimes in the office, outdoors or even at home, here is a reminder of the urgency to educate the masses on women empowerment and gender equality.

Power to Women

W

Esther Koza, Office Manager

omen empowerment in India is a challenging task as we need to acknowledge, the fact that gender based discrimination is a deep rooted social malice practiced in India in many forms for thousands of years. The malice is not going to go away in few years or for that matter, by attempting to work at it through half-hearted attempts. Formulating laws, legislations and policies are not enough as it is seen that most of the times these laws and policies just remain on paper. The ground reality on the other hand just remains the same and in many instances worsens further. Addressing the malice of gender discrimination and women empowerment in India is a long drawn battle against powerful structural forces of the society which are against women’s growth and development.

We have to accept the fact that things are not going to change overnight but because of this we cannot stop taking action either. At this juncture, the most important step is to initiate ground level actions, however small it might seem.

The ground level actions should be focused towards changing the social attitude and practices prevalent in the society which are highly biased against women. This can be initiated by working with women at the root level and focusing on increasing women’s access and control over resources and increasing their control over decision making. Further, working on the aspect of enhanced mobility and social interaction of women in the society would positively influence all round development and empowerment of women in India.

Today, there are lots of things that are happening in the name of women empowerment in India and lots of resources are spent in this direction. Keeping this in mind it is crucial to have a reality check on what is happening on paper and what is the actual ground situation. In India, women are discriminated and marginalized at every level of the society whether it is social participation, economic opportunity and economic participation, political participation, access to education or access to nutrition and reproductive health care. Gender disparity is high; crimes against women are increasing and violence against women is high at all times and in most cases they go unreported. One of the major aspects of women empowerment in India is to change the attitude of society towards women. The problem in India is that the society never worked on the premise of gender equality for a very long time. Atrocities and discrimination against women is a way of life in Indian society. There is an attitude which still prevails in India where women are considered to be worthwhile of only household activities. The pardah system, child marriage, dowry system are testimonies of this truth. Women have never been a part of the mainstream society in India and they are still considered as a great liability. If we just look at the sex ratio, it will show the plight of women in India. Female literacy is just 54.16 % as per 2001 Census. In Indian parliament and assemblies, women have never represented more than 10%. Most of the women workers in India are outside the organized sector. Administrators, managers, professionals, combined together and technical workers on the other hand are the lowest at 2.3% and 20 % respectively. Now these figures give the real truth of the actual mentality of the society which has restricted, marginalized and discriminated women quite openly. As mentioned before, the government had declared 2001 as the women’s empowerment year but nothing much has happened even after that. Women even today are not able to exercise full control over their circumstances or actions.

From a welfare society at the inception, India moved on to embrace the developmental model and now the latest trend is the empowerment model. But with all these initiatives, however genuine they are or might have been, nothing substantial has happened. Majority of women in India are poor, uneducated and insufficiently trained. They often end up in the daily struggle of managing an ill equipped family and are not in a position to propel themselves out of the oppressive and regressive socio-economic conditions. We need to accept the truth that there is a great discrepancy in the ideology and the actual practice of empowerment policy in India.

It has to be understood that unless we change the basic social attitude which cultivates gender inequality and gender bias, we would not be able to achieve much in terms of women empowerment in India. There are many laws and amendments that have been carried out to end the discrimination against women and empower women in all aspects of life. Gender equality is enshrined in Indian constitution and this empowers the state to end the gender based discrimination against women. There is reservation of seats in Panchayats and municipalities and another law is being envisioned for reservation in parliament. But the sad part is that all these laws and amendments have become toothless as the fundamental problem lies in the attitude of the society which is highly biased against women. The only solution is for women to come together as a unifying force and initiate self empowering actions at the ground level. Once we work towards self empowerment through small number of infinite actions, we become aware of the ground realities and then we can think about taking further recourse towards changing the mindset of the society which fosters gender inequality and bias.

To reemphasize, women’s empowerment cannot take place unless women come together and decide to empower themselves. Once this happens, then we can think about stimulating the system towards the direction of better health facilities, nutrition and educational facilities for women on a very large scale. Self empowerment can begin by addressing day to day issues faced by individual women and tackling them with a mindset of improving the overall living conditions of women at every level and strata of the society. A movement has to be built which awakens the individual self for creative and generative action. In this regard, progressive and resourceful women in the society need to come forward to help the less privileged in as many ways as possible. This shall help women to sow the seed for real women empowerment in India.

“Degree of Thought is a weekly community column initiated by Tetso College in partnership with The Morung Express. Degree of Thought will delve into the social, cultural, political and educational issues around us. The views expressed here do not reflect the opinion of the institution. Tetso College is a NAAC Accredited UGC recognised Commerce and Arts College.

For feedback or comments please email: admin@tetsocollege.org”.

Readers may please note that, the contents of the articles published on this page do not reflect the outlook of this paper nor of the Editor in any form.

8

Dimapur

NATIONAL

Wednesday 2 July 2014

The Morung Express

Trinamool MP apologises for rape remark

KolKAtA, July 1 (iANs): With the countrywide chorus rising for his arrest and expulsion from parliament, Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member Tapas Paul Tuesday tendered an unconditional apology for his “deeply insensitive” rape comments.

With political leaders, eminent personalities and activists baying for his head and the National Commission for Women (NCW) writing to the president and prime minister seeking his expulsion from parliament, the Lok Sabha member, in a letter addressed to his party and the media, sought apology terming his comments a “gross error of judgment” and “deeply insensitive”.

“Some remarks made by me have caused dismay and consternation. I apologise unreservedly for them.

Whatever the provocation, those comments should never have been made,” the letter said.

“In making them, I have let down my constituents and the people of Bengal, I have let down my party, the Trinamool Congress, and my political colleagues, I have let down my family, including my wife and children and my parents, and my friends.”

“I apologise to all of them, and particularly to all women in our society and to those in the media who highlighted the issue,” Paul, who was directed by the Trinamool to give an explanation, said in the letter.

Earlier in the day, Paul’s wife Nandini too apolo-

Another Trinamool leader calls for ‘sacrificing’ intruders

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Tapas Pal with his wife Nandini. (File Phoro)

gised on her husband’s behalf, although she asserted that he was “provoked” to make the remarks.

“If a CPI-M man dares to touch anybody, I will take out my gun and shoot him. I always carry a gun... I will destroy his entire clan. I warn my opponents... I will make their family pay dearly. I will ask my boys to go there. They will rape them and leave,” Paul was seen saying in the video that has now gone viral.

Even as Paul’s remarks continued to trigger outrage and disgust, another party leader - Banku-

ra district head Arup Chakraborty - was caught on tape asking his partymen to “sacrifice whoever intrudes your home”.

“If any outsider enters your house, cut him down, sacrifice him. I will take care of that, you don’t have to worry,” Chakraborty is seen in the video clip telecast by a Bengali news channel.

He later justified his comments, saying he was talking about the right of self-defence.

“Why should my comments create problems?

I have talked about the

right of self defence. If somebody attacks my house or is forcibly taking out our women, should I be a mute spectator? Won’t I exercise my right of private defence,” Chakraborty asked.

The row had its reverberations in the West Bengal assembly too, where noisy scenes were witnessed when Congress members staged a walkout after an adjournment motion on the issue was disallowed by the speaker.

Leader of Opposition and CPI-M veteran Surjya Kanta Mishra said his party

KolKAtA, July 1 (iANs): Even as the countrywide outrage grows over Trinamool Congress MP Tapas Paul’s “rape” remarks, another party leader Tuesday has been caught on tape asking partymen to “sacrifice” intruders.

Telecast by a Bengali news channel, Trinamool’s Bankura district head Arup Chakraborty is seen in a video clip asking his partymen to “sacrifice whoever intrudes your homes”. “If any outsider enters your house, cut him down, sacrifice him, I will take care of that, you don’t have to worry,” Chakraborty is seen in the video telling his party activists in Bankura.

Paul, who represents Krishnanagar Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal’s Nadia district, was caught on video warning Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-

will file a police complaint at the place in Nadia district where Paul made the rape remarks.

Expressing dismay over the “silence” of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the matter, state BJP president Rahul Sinha said a CD of Paul’s speech will be sent to the Lok Sabha speaker seeking action against him.

While the state women’s panel put the onus on the chief minister, NCW chairperson Mamta Sharma told IANS that the panel was writing to the president, prime minister and the Lok Sabha speaker

M) men to “beware” of him as he won’t “spare you and destroy your entire clan” and “unleash my boys to rape your women”.

His remarks have drawn widespread criticism, with people across political lines and activists seeking his arrest. Several Trinamool leaders have in the past been in the eye of the storm for their hate speeches.

Trinamool’s Birbhum district chief Anubrata Mandal has been accused in a murder case when a panchayat member was killed allegedly days after he asked his party workers to “attack the houses of rivals and bomb the police if they prevent you”.

Infamous for his hate speeches, Mandal earlier likened CPI-M activists to “rats hiding in burrows”. “The rats are now hiding in their bur-

seeking Paul’s expulsion from parliament for his “atrocious remarks”.

A host of personalities and activists demanded exemplary punishment to Paul and expressed angst and disgust over his remarks.

“I am totally stunned to hear his remarks. I have worked with him and never thought he could utter such things. This is shameful,” said eminent actor-director Aparna Sen. Amid all the brouhaha, Banerjee, who party leaders said was “extremely pained” at the insensi-

rows, you should pit the burrows with mud and also use cyanide so they don’t come out,” Mandal told a party rally.

Party legislator from Labhpur in Birbhum district, Manirul Islam was in the news for publicly claiming he crushed to death three people under his feet and for threatening to behead a Congress leader from the district. “…it would not take me even a minute to behead you,” Islam said at a rally last year and went on to claim how he had “squashed” three people under his feet for committing atrocities against women.

This is not the first time Paul has made a hate speech.

Addressing an election rally in Nadia district earlier, he asked party workers to “beat up” CPI-M workers and drive them out of the villages.

tive comments, refused to comment on the issue though addressing a gathering later, she asserted taking action against her own people.

“If I see someone among us is doing wrong... then I take action against them too. We do this as it is our duty to protect peace and love,” Banerjee said, addressing people in Raidighi in South 24 Parganas district.

Announcing Paul’s apology to the media, Trinamool general secretary Mukul Roy took pride over the party taking “strong ac-

tion” within a day.

“The incident came to light at 5 p.m. yesterday (Monday). The party has taken a strong stand within 24 hours. Mamata Banerjee was pained and shocked to hear his comments. He (Paul) was asked to issue an unconditional apology to the public.

“As soon as it came to the party’s notice, we made it clear that the party does not endorse the statements. This was a shocking incident. The party will ensure this kind of incident does not happen again,” said Roy.

‘Bureaucrats should remain apolitical’ France to partner India on climate change

NEW DElhi, July 1 (Pti): The government today asked the bureaucrats to remain apolitical to give people a fair deal of governance and said the conduct and the role of a public servant should be more responsive and proactive.

Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh while inaugurating the 40th Advanced Professional Pro-

gramme in Public Administration (APPPA) for the Indian Administrative Service, allied services and defence service officers, suggested that in order to give people a fair deal of governance, bureaucracy has to remain apolitical and while bureaucrats ought to ensure this it is also for all of us to avoid any possible tendency to politicise the bureaucracy.

“The world itself is changing and upon this, the Indian democracy comprising of 1,200 million people is itself the most complex political society in the world and the bureaucratic setup here is perhaps the most difficult than in any other country of the world,” Singh was quoted as saying in an official statement, issued after the event.

“Even though the IAS was inherited from the ICS of British Raj, the responsibilities and obligations expected from an IAS officer in the Indian set-up are much more diverse and onerous,” he said.

The aim of the programme is to develop inter-personal skills, leadership qualities and social sensitivity.

DU admissions begin, high cutoffs make students wait NEW DElhi, July 1 (iANs): The much delayed admissions to the threeyear undergraduate programme in Delhi University began Tuesday, with the sky-rocketing cutoffs further increasing the students’ wait for admission pending the second list. The first cutoff list was declared Monday with cutoffs going as high as 100%.

“I have scored 94% and I want to pursue history. But I couldn’t qualify for the first cutoff, so I have to wait,” Ravi Chandra, a student from Manipur, told IANS. The high cutoff has forced Mohan Yadav from Madhya Pradesh to wait for some more time.

“I have scored 93.66% and wanted admission in B.Com Honours in Ramjas College. But the cutoffs are very high and I have to wait for the second list,” Yadav said. The university has noti-

fied that it would release 8 cutoff lists this year. The admission was already delayed due to a tussle between the university and the University Grants Commission over the controversial four-year undergraduate programme, which was ultimately rolled back.

“We had great problems as the admission dates were postponed. My daughter has applied for B.Sc Honours... but the first cutoffs are really high, we are hoping that in the second cutoff, she will qualify,” Sharmila Mukherjee from Assam told IANS. “We are not from here, and have come from Assam. Now after so much wait, we will have to wait further,” Megharupa Sharma said.

Kiran Sati termed the delay in admission “mental harassment”. “I have applied for political science. Late admissions are mentally harassing.

16th Lok Sabha won’t have leader of opposition

NEW DElhi, July 1 (AgENciEs): The 16th Lok Sabha will have no leader of the opposition. It’s learnt that Speaker Sumitra Mahajan will strictly go by the rule book which will make no party eligible for the status in the Lower House.

As per rules, any party needs to bag at least 10% of the total seats for its leader to claim the status of the leader of the opposition. Though having the largest contingents among the opposition, Congress with 44 members falls short of the requirement. Sources said the Speaker, a seasoned parliamentarian, has decided not to use any discretion to tweak the rulebook and stick to the letters of the law.

With no leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, the situation will be the same as it was for 10 years from August 1979 to December 1989 — the 7th and 8th Lok Sabhas.

Without an leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, the main issues the government will have to deal with is the selection process of Lokpal, chief vigilance commissioner (CVC) and chief information commissioner (CIC). The leader of opposition is part of the selection panel for these posts, in keeping with the spirit of parliamentary democracy.

A government source said if there is no leader of opposition, the selection committee can note that the post is vacant. Another suggestion is there could be provisions to include the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha in the selection panels. Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad is leader of opposition in the Upper House.

From the first leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, Ram Subhag Singh in 1969, to YB Chavan, Jagjivan Ram, Rajiv Gandhi, L K Advani, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, PV Narasimha Rao, Sonia Gandhi, Advani (again) and Sushma Swaraj, the 10% rule was considered.

“This tradition has to be undone, if the Speaker decides on a leader of opposition this time,” law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had said while speaking to TOI on the issue.

Earlier, parliamentary affairs minister M Venkaiah Naidu had also hinted at a situation where there will be no leader of opposition in LS. “The Congress will be one of the opposition parties, but the leader of opposition issue is a realm of the Speaker.

There was no leader of opposition during Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi or Rajiv Gandhi’s time,” he had said while replying to questions from media on the issue.

Though I am from Delhi, my cousins faced a lot of problems,” Sati, an aspirant at ARSD College, told IANS. In the first cutoff list, three colleges in the university’s south campus have set their minimum required marks as high as 100%t for honours degree in computer science. Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College (ARSD), Acharya Narendra Dev College and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee College have set 100 percent as the cutoff for computer science Honours for students belonging to non-science background.

Some students said they were ready to wait till they get the college of their choice. “I want to pursue B.Com Honours from Hindu College only. So, I will wait till I qualify for Hindu,” Ashwani Sherawat, who has scored 96.25%t in his board examinations said.

NEW DElhi, July 1 (iANs): French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius Tuesday called for greater cooperation between France and India to tackle climate change and offered a proposed credit line of 1 billion Euro to enable sutainable urban development.

“In order to boost our cooperation, I am happy to announce that France has decided to propose a credit line of up to 1 billion Euros over the next three years for sustainable infrastructure and urban development in India through the French Development Agency,” he said.

Fabius was speaking at a discussion on “Sustainable development in response to climate change” organised by the French embassy, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) at the India Habitat Centre here. He outlined five areas of concrete cooperation between the two countries.

“I see at least five areas of possible concrete cooperation between France and India. Cooperation on carbon-free energy, de-

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, left, talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their meeting at his residence in New Delhi, on Tuesday, July 1. Fabius is in India for a two-day official visit. (AP Photo)

veloping our partnership on civilian nuclear energy, water-management in the context of the ambitious Indian projects on the Ganga and other rivers, urban development, and space and earth observation,” he said.

TERI Director General R.K. Pachauri said India should do exemplary work in the direction of controlling climate change.

“India for its own sake can go a great deal since we are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. As a country of 1.2 billion plus

people, whatever we do is of enormous value to the world. We should raise our level of ambition and lead by an example for the world to follow,” Pachauri said in a video message.

“It’s still possible to keep to the target of an increase below two degree Celsius.

We should show the flexibility to reach a universal framework which will provide incentives for all countries to join the global race to the top for low-carbon development,” he said.

The discussion was

moderated by Prodipto Ghosh, distinguished fellow, TERI. Other panelists were Ajay Goel, member, CII National Committee on Renewable Energy & CEO, Tata Power Solar; Talleen Kumar, joint secretary in department of industrial policy and promotion; Laurence Tubiana, founder, Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations; Surjit Bhalla, chairman, Oxus Investments; and Anil Chaudhary, CEO, Schneider Electric India.

Apex court grants bail to Tarun Tejpal

NEW DElhi, July 1 (iANs): The Supreme Court Tuesday granted bail to Tehelka founder editor Tarun Tejpal in a sexual assault case.

Tejpal was arrested in Goa in November last year after a woman colleague accused him of sexually assaulting her in a hotel there that month.

Granting bail, a bench of Justice H.L.Dattu and Justice S.A. Bobde said: “In the facts and circumstances of the case, we are of the opinion that petitioner (Tejpal) is entitled for regular bail.” Addressing the apprehensions of the Goa government that Tejpal would use his liberty to interfere with the trial by influencing the witnesses, the court cautioned Tejpal to refrain from directly or indirectly doing so.

“The petitioner shall not directly or indirectly resort to inducement, threat or coercion of witnesses,” the court said, giving liberty to the Goa government to “make an application if for any reason petitioner (Tejpal) violates the bail condition”.

Tehelka founder editor Tarun Tejpal. (File Photo)

The court directed the trail court to complete the trial in eight months and asked Tejpal to remain present on all days and not seek unnecessary adjournments. It said that in case Tejpal was unable to be present, he would take permission of the court and intimate the investigating agency about it.

The court also directed Tejpal to surrender his pass-

port to the trial court if he has not already not done so. Senior counsel Neeraj Kishan Kaul appearing for the Goa government opposed the bail plea, saying that their apprehensions were reasonable and well-founded that Tejpal would infringe with the witnesses. He said there was material to support their apprehensions.

To this, Justice Dattu said:

“It is an apprehension today.

If apprehension comes out to be true, then you can always come to us seeking the recall or modification of our order granting bail.” The court said that Tejpal was in jail since November and with 153 witnesses it will take three years.

“Speedy trial is must.

With 153 witnesses, speedy trial is difficult. It will take three years,” the court said as it brushed aside Kaul’s plea that let the victim and four primary witnesses be examined by the trial court. “Can we take away his liberty and say ‘You suffer imprisonment’,” the court asked Goa counsel. “What you are saying is of past. From today if there is anything, then come to us and we will look into it.”

If the investigations were on and charge sheet had yet to be filed, one can understand denying bail, but once investigation is over and charge sheet filed, “how could he be kept in jail?”, the court asked Goa government counsel.

Justice Dattu said they will request senior counsel Salman

Khurshid, who appeared for Tejpal, to tell his client that if he interferes with the witnesses, then he will have to suffer the consequences.

Appearing for Tejpal, Khurshid said he had taken note of the concern of the court and was sure that his client would take it more seriously. “I will convey the caution of the court in strongest possible term,” he assured the court. Tejpal was accused of sexually assaulting a woman colleague in a five-star hotel on two occasions Nov 7-8 last year during an event organised by his magazine Tehelka.

On May 19, the apex court granted him three-week interim bail so that he could carry out the last rites and other rituals of his mother. On June 3, the interim bail was extended till June 27, as more rituals connected with his mother’s death were to be performed.

The Supreme Court earlier extended his interim bail in the case till July 1. Tejpal was charged Feb 18 with rape, sexual harassment and outraging the modesty of his colleague.

Wednesday

InTErnaTIonal

The Morung Express

2 July 2014

Dimapur

9

Japan takes historic post-war step

A man shouts slogans over a public-address system during a protest outside the Japanese prime minister’s office in anticipation his government will reinterpret the constitution to allow Japan’s military a larger international role in Tokyo on Tuesday, July 1. About two thousand people demonstrated to demand that Abe’s Cabinet scrap its plan, intended to allow the Japanese military to help defend other nations. It would be one of the biggest changes in Japan’s security policy since World War II. The placards from left to right read: “Do not scratch the article 9,” “We oppose,” and “Security treaty.” (AP Photo)

TOKYO, JULY 1 (REUTERS): Japan took a historic step away from its post-war pacifism on Tuesday by ending a ban that has kept the military from fighting abroad since 1945, a victory for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe but a move that has riled China and worries many Japanese voters.

The change, the most dramatic shift in policy since Japan set up its post-war armed forces 60 years ago, will widen Japan’s military options by ending the ban on exercising “collective selfdefence”, or aiding a friendly country under attack.

Abe’s cabinet adopted a resolution outlining the

shift, which also relaxes limits on activities in U.N.led peace-keeping operations and “grey zone” incidents short of full-scale war, Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera told reporters. Long constrained by the post-war constitution, Japan’s armed forces will become more aligned with

the militaries of other advanced nations , in terms of its options, but the government will be wary of putting boots on the ground in multilateral operations such as the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

Abe repeated that stance on Tuesday, while stressing Japan had to re-

spond to an increasingly tough security environment.

“There is no change in the general principle that we cannot send troops overseas,” Abe told a televised news conference, flanked by a poster showing Japanese mothers and infants fleeing a theoretical combat zone on a U.S. vessel under attack.

The new policy has angered an increasingly assertive China, whose ties with Japan have frayed due to a maritime row, mistrust and the legacy of Japan’s past military aggression.

“China opposes the Japanese fabricating the China threat to promote its domestic political agenda,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a news conference in Beijing.

“We demand that Japan respect the reasonable security concerns of its Asian neighbors and prudently handle the relevant matter.”

South Korea, like Japan allied with the United States, but still aggrieved about Tokyo’s 20th century colonisation of the Korean peninsula, said it would not accept any change in policy affecting its security unless it gave its agreement.

Abe’s advisers have said Tokyo should take no action involving a friendly country without that country’s consent.

The shift, however, will

be welcomed by Washington, which has long urged Tokyo to become a more equal alliance partner, and

by Southeast Asia nations that also have rows with China Conservatives say the constitution’s warrenouncing Article 9 has limited Japan’s ability to defend itself and that a changing regional power balance, including a rising China, means policies must be more flexible.

“Conservative governments have pushed the envelope hard and often to get the public to agree to a more elastic interpretation of article 9. Abe is taking a bigger leap and getting away with it, thanks to the Chinese,” said Columbia University political sience professor Gerry Curtis.

Abe, who took office in 2012 promising to revive Japan’s economy and bolster its security posture, has pushed for the change which revises a longstanding government interpretation of the charter - despite wariness among ordinary Japanese.

Some voters worry about entanglement in foreign wars and others are angry at what they see as a gutting of Article 9 by ignoring formal amendment procedures. The charter has never been revised since it was adopted after Japan’s 1945 defeat.

On Sunday, a man set himself on fire near a busy Tokyo intersection - a rare form of protest in Japan after speaking out against Abe’s re-interpretation of Article 9.

While Abe spoke, thousands of protesters, including pensioners, housewives and employees just leaving work, gathered near the premier’s office carrying banners and shouting, “Don’t destroy Article 9”, “We’re against war” and “No more Abe”.

“After this bill is enacted, Japanese soldiers could be sent abroad to fight foreign wars - we don’t want that,” said Yoshiharu Uchinuma, 62, an artist and farmer, wearing a helmet saying “9 No War”.

“Even if Japan doesn’t go to war abroad anytime soon, I don’t want my children to go war even in 10 or 20 years,” said teacher Aska Miyanaga, 37, standing with her son and daughter.

Legal revisions to implement the change must be approved by parliament and restrictions could be imposed in the process.

Since its 1945 defeat, Japan’s military has not engaged in combat. Past governments have stretched the constitution’s limits to develop a military now on par with that of France and to permit non-combat missions abroad, but its armed forces remain far more

constrained legally than those of other nations.

China has already argued that Japan is raising regional tensions and seeks to back its case by pointing to Abe’s efforts to cast Tokyo’s wartime past with a less apologetic tone.

“It makes it easier for competitors to paint Japan as a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” said Richard Samuels, director of the Center for International Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. But he added: “Just because Japan is strong does not mean that it will be aggressive.”

According to the cabinet resolution, Japan could exercise force to the minimum degree necessary in cases where a country with which it has close ties is attacked and the following conditions are met: there is a threat to the existence of the Japanese state, there is a clear danger that the people’s right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness could be subverted, and there is no appropriate alternative.

Precisely how the change might work in practice remains unclear, although it is likely to ease the path to joint military exercises with countries other than the United States. New Komeito, the junior partner in Abe’s governing coalition, says the scope of revision is limited.

Nicolas Sarkozy held for questioning Cease-fire over, Ukraine renews attacks on rebels

PARIS, JULY 1 (REUTERS):Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was held for questioning on Tuesday over suspicions that he received leaked details of an inquiry into alleged irregularities in his 2007 election campaign.

It was the first time a former head of state had been held for questioning in modern French history and is the latest blow to Sarkozy’s hopes of a come-back after his 2012 election defeat by Francois Hollande. The conservative politician denies all wrongdoing in a string of investigations involving him.

Sarkozy arrived early Tuesday to be quizzed by investigators at their offices in Nanterre, west of Paris, after his lawyer was held for questioning on Monday.

“Mr. Sarkozy has been summoned to Nanterre and is being held for questioning,” the source told Reuters. Asked about the

matter, government spokesman Stephane Le Foll said Sarkozy was “subject to justice like everyone else. Justice authorities are investigating and have to go all the way.”

“Never has any former president been the victim of such treatment, such an outburst of hatred,” Christian Estrosi, the mayor of the southern city of Nice and a close Sarkozy ally, said on his Twitter account.

The case is one of six legal cases involving Sarkozy either directly or indirectly, including more recent allegations of irregularities in his unsuccessful 2012 election campaign.

The current questioning relates to suspicions he used his influence to get information on an investigation into funding irregularities in his victorious 2007 election campaign.

Sarkozy can be held in custody for up to 48 hours.

One cloud was lifted off Sarkozy’s future last October when a court dropped inquiries into whether he had exploited the mental frailty of France’s richest woman, L’Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt, to fund that campaign.

But as investigators used phone-taps to examine separate allegations that late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi funded the same campaign, they began to suspect he had kept tabs on the Bettencourt case through a

network of informants.

Those suspicions finally prompted the formal launching of yet another investigation into influence-peddling in February.

Sarkozy has likened the magistrates behind the phone-tapping to the “Stasi” police of former Communist East Germany.

Sarkozy, 59, retired after his defeat by Hollande, but has continued to snipe both at the Socialist president and rivals inside his own conservative camp with messages carefully placed in local media by his political entourage.

Asked about his future at a closed-door event at France’s parliament last week, Sarkozy said he was still “in a period of reflection” but indicated he would make up his mind in coming months whether to seek the 2017 ticket of his UMP party.

Yet a growing number of voices in the UMP have been arguing he is too much of a liability to run for them as president.

Those calls grew louder last week as a separate funding scandal over his 2012 election campaign escalated.

The former deputy director of Sarkozy’s campaign, Jerome Lavrilleux, said four UMP members besides himself agreed to use false accounting to cover rising campaign expenses that had surpassed a legal limit. Lavrilleux said Sarkozy himself was not aware of the accounting irregularities.

KIEV, JULY 1 (AP): Ukraine renewed its attacks against armed pro-Russia separatists Tuesday after the president called off a unilateral ceasefire, carrying out air and artillery strikes against rebel positions in eastern Ukraine.

Defense Ministry spokesman Oleksiy Dmytrashkovsky said forces “opened artillery fire, carried out air strikes at the strategic points of the terrorists and places where they are concentrated,” the Interfax news agency reported.

He said one service member was killed and 17 wounded by rebel attacks over the past 24 hours and an Su-25 attack aircraft was damaged. There was no immediate casualty toll from the rebels.

On Monday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko ended a 10-day cease-fire he had called to try to persuade the rebels to lay down their weapons, return seized border posts and hold peace talks. He had called the cease-fire unilaterally and rebels agreed to join it three days later.

Poroshenko said the ceasefire had been violated more than 100 times by rebels, although each side blamed the other for the continued fighting. He said he gave up on the peace initiative after key conditions, such as turning over border crossings and international monitoring of the ceasefire, were not met.

A pro-Russian fighter runs past a huge poster during fighting near a regional police department in downtown Donetsk, eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, July 1. Ukraine renewed its attacks against armed pro-Russian separatists Tuesday after the president called off a unilateral cease-fire, carrying out air and artillery strikes against rebel positions in eastern Ukraine. (AP Photo)

The end of the cease fire raises serious questions about what Ukrainian forces will accomplish now. They were ineffective over more than two months of low-intensity fighting against the rebels before the cease-fire.

Rebels remain in control of the town of Slovyansk in the eastern Donetsk region, which has declared independence from Poroshenko’s government in Kiev, and at one point shot down a military transport, killing 49 service members.

European leaders have been pressing Russian Presi-

dent Vladimir Putin to use what they say is his influence with the rebels. The West says Russia is sending weapons including tanks and rocket launchers to the rebels and allowing Russian citizens to cross the border to fight, claims Russia rejects.

A summit of EU leaders on Friday warned Russia would face new sanctions unless there was progress by Tuesday.

But two rounds of four-way phone talks among Poroshenko, Putin, Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel and French

Birth control ruling sparks political clash WASHINGTON, JULY 1 (AP): Republicans called it a win for religious freedom. The decision of the Supreme Court, they said, is further evidence President Barack Obama’s health care law is deeply flawed.

The claims of victory arrived almost immediately after the high court ruled Monday that some companies need not provide contraception to women as required by Obama’s signature domestic policy achievement.

Yet there’s a risk for Republicans in crowing too loudly.

Republicans for years have tried to make inroads with two groups that tend to favor Democrats: women and younger voters.

And as popular as the court’s decision will be with the conservative Republican base, it’s likely to be just as unpopular this year and into the 2016 presidential election year with those who depend on insurance to pay for birth control — a group that includes women and younger voters.

“The thought of your boss telling you what kind of birth control you can and can’t get is offensive and it certainly is motivating to women to vote,” said Cecile Richards, president of Planned

Parenthood Action Fund, which plans to spend several million dollars this year to campaign for Senate candidates in the November elections when control of Congress will be at stake.

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that some companies can hold religious objections allowing them to opt out of the health law’s birth control coverage requirement. While the ruling does not address the heart of the Affordable Care Act, it’s a setback for Democrats and amplifies a longstanding argument from conservatives that the law they call “Obamacare” intrudes on religious liberties as part of a larger government overreach.

“This is a clear and decisive defeat against Obamacare and a victory for the rights of all Americans,” Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said in a fundraising appeal distributed less than three hours after the Supreme Court ruling.

But Republican leaders such as Priebus were careful to avoid mentioning the impact on women and their reproductive rights, underscoring the delicate balance the Republican Party must strike as it works to improve its

image among women. The party is still recovering from a series of insensitive comments made

by Republican candidates in the 2012 election, including Missouri U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin, whose campaign crumbled after he said women’s bodies were able to avoid pregnancy in cases of “legitimate rape.”

“Republicans have to be careful about not appearing as though they’re anti-contraception. This is a constitutional issue,” said Katie Packer Gage, a strategist whose firm advises Republicans on navigating women’s issues.

“We have to be very, very cautious as a party.”

Polls suggest that most people — and a larger majority of women — think for-profit companies should be required to cover the cost of birth control. A Gallup survey conducted in May found that 90 percent of Americans, including 88 percent of Republicans, see the use of birth control as morally acceptable.

Democrats said the ruling would shine a spotlight on access to birth control and dovetail with a strategy by the party to mobilize female voters on issues such as raising the minimum wage and

supporting pay equity for women.

In Colorado’s U.S. Senate race, for example, Democratic Sen. Mark Udall’s first TV ad noted Republican Rep. Cory Gardner’s past sponsorship of a bill to outlaw abortions in cases of rape and incest and support for an effort to grant an embryo the same legal rights as a person, which could have outlawed some types of birth control and all abortions.

Gardner now says he opposes the “personhood” measure.

In Iowa, Democrats have signaled plans to highlight Republican Senate candidate Joni Ernst’s support of a personhood amendment to the state’s constitution. In Michigan, Democrats backing Senate candidate Gary Peters have sought to tarnish Republican Terri Lynn Land’s record on reproductive rights, prompting her to air her own ad in April declaring, “As a woman, I might know a little bit more about women than Gary Peters.”

It won’t be clear until November whether women will respond to such appeals.

Fewer young women typically vote in non-presidential elections compared with presidential years. And they are particularly

disengaged from this year’s races: 63 percent of women under age 30 in an AP-GfK poll conducted before the ruling reported they “don’t care very much” which party wins control of Congress.

Just 21 percent said they were certain to vote in November.

Writing for the court’s conservative majority, Justice Samuel Alito suggested the White House could resolve the issue by broadening a birth control compromise it created earlier for religion-oriented nonprofits. In those cases a third party — usually an insurer — can cover contraceptives at no charge to the affected employees, and the government absorbs the cost.

But White House spokesman Josh Earnest signaled the administration may not take that route.

Instead, he challenged Congress to pass legislation to address the coverage gap for women. That could put some Republicans in a difficult spot politically, but not right away. For now, they’re enjoying what many viewed as a win.

“When Obamacare and its impact on people is front and center in the political debate, it’s just not good news for Democrats,” Republican strategist Kevin Madden said.

President Francois Hollande on Sunday and Monday did not produce enough agreement for Poroshenko to extend the cease-fire.

European leaders have threatened a new round of economic sanctions against Russia if Poroshenko’s peace conditions were not met.

In Brussels, ambassadors for the European Union’s 28 governments discussed the situation in eastern Ukraine but decided Tuesday they were not ready to immediately impose new sanctions against Russia, officials said.

S Korea dismisses N Korean proposal as insincere

SEOUL, JULY 1 (AP): South Korea on Tuesday rejected North Korean proposals to reduce tensions including the cancellation of annual South Korean military drills with the U.S., saying they were insincere.

North Korea’s powerful National Defense Commission made the proposals Monday, describing the planned drills as a rehearsal for invasion. It also suggested that the two Koreas halt hostile military acts against each other at border areas and stop psychological warfare. South Korea and the U.S. have repeatedly denied that they seek to invade the North.

The North said a mood of reconciliation is necessary ahead of the Asian Games, which will be held Sept. 19 to Oct. 4 in the South Korean city of Incheon. North Korea has said it will take part in the games.

Seoul’s Unification Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that North Korea must first demonstrate that it is serious about nuclear disarmament if it truly wants peace.

The ministry accused North Korea of breaking an earlier agreement to stop mutual slander.

Analysts say North Korea wants better ties with South Korea and other countries to help revive its stagnant economy.

Animosity on the Korean Peninsula remains high following a slew of missile and rocket tests by North Korea and its resumption of harsh rhetoric earlier this year. The two Koreas also earlier exchanged artillery fire along a disputed western sea boundary. South Korean officials said North Korea launched short-range projectiles and missiles into waters off its east coast on Thursday and Sunday.

The Korean Peninsula officially remains in a state of war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.

10

The Morung Express SPORTS Germany beat Algeria 2-1 Vincent banned for life for match-fixing Dimapur

Wednesday 2 July 2014

to advance into quarters

Germany's Mesut Ozil celebrates after scoring his side's second goal in extra time during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Germany and Algeria at the Estadio Beira-Rio in Porto Alegre, Brazil, Monday, June 30. (AP Photo)

PORTO ALEGRE, JULY 1 (AP): When it comes to the knockout stages of the World Cup, wins are worth more than style. That was on full display Monday when Germany labored to a 2-1 extratime win over an aggressive Algeria side to reach the tournament's quarterfinals for the ninth consecutive time.

"You don't have to play fantastic every match," Germany coach Joachim Loew said. "You have to win." All three goals came in extra time after Algeria dominated for long stretches during the open-

ing 90 minutes. Germany substitute Andre Schuerrle scored in the 92nd minute and Mesut Ozil made it 2-0 in the 120th before substitute Abdelmoumene Djabou pulled one back in injury time for Algeria.

Three-time champion Germany will next face 1998 winner France on Friday at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

"It was a victory of will power," Loew said. "We had major problems in the first half to organize the way we played. We made simple mistakes, which invited the oppo-

nents to start counterattacks."

Germany finally took the lead when Thomas Mueller provided a cross from the left flank that was slightly behind Schuerrle. The Germany forward dragged his left leg and backheeled the ball into the far corner, leaving goalkeeper Rais M'Bolhi with no chance.

With the temperature a chilly 14 degrees Celsius (57 degrees Fahrenheit) and a light rain falling at times, the pace was high at the Estadio Beira-Rio but the goals didn't come until the end. "Yes, we had our problems but at the end we

were better and had a lot of chances," Loew said. "The important thing is to advance. ... Past champions also did not play well every match. You cannot play fantastic every match of the tournament."

Ozil thought he had put the result out of reach when he pounded in a rebound after a shot from Schuerrle was cleared off the line by defender Esseid Belkalem, but Djabou volleyed in a minute later to make the last seconds count.

Perhaps inspired by the "Disgrace of Gijon" at the 1982 World Cup, when Germany and Austria supposedly conspired to oust Algeria in the group stage, the northern African nation outmatched Germany's intensity for long stretches in an entertaining match.

Algeria was playing in the second round of the World Cup for the first time and thought it had taken the lead before a goal from Islam Slimani was waved off for offside in the 17th, one of many opportunities for the Algeria striker. "We fell just short," said Rais, who was voted man of the match.

"That's why we're disappointed, because we think more was possible tonight."

At the start of the second half, Germany put Schuerrle on for Mario Goetze in an attacking midfield and came out better organized.

In the 55th, Germany captain Philipp Lahm unleashed a hard shot that an outstretched Rais did well to push wide with his fingertips. Still, Algeria continued to produce dangerous counterattacks. In the 72nd, Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer had to come out of his area to head away the danger with Slimani chasing. In the 88th, Germany's inability to find the target turned theatrical for a moment when Mueller appeared to fall during a free kick. Then the goals came, the rain intensified, and Germany took control.

Cameroon to probe match-fixing claims

SALVADOR, JULY 1 (REUTERS): Cameroon are to investigate claims that seven of their players were involved in match-fixing at the World Cup, the country's football federation FECAFOOT said on Monday.

FECAFOOT said it had instructed its ethics committee to probe allegations of what it described as "fraud" in their three games in Brazil, particularly a 4-0 loss to Croatia in Manaus in their second Group A game. "Recent allegations of fraud around Cameroon's three 2014 World Cup games, especially Cameroon v Croatia, as

well the existence of "seven bad apples (in our national team)" do not reflect the values and principles promoted by our administration," FECAFOOT said in a statement. "We wish to inform the general public that, though not yet contacted by FIFA in regards to this affair, our administration has already instructed its Ethics Committee to further investigate these accusations.

"We are strongly committed to employ all means necessary to resolve this disruptive matter with the shortest delay," FECAFOOT's interim president

Joseph Owona said.

The allegations against Cameroon came from convicted fraudster Wilson Raj Perumal, who had accurately forecast the result and the fact a player would be sent off in a discussion with German magazine Der Spiegel.

Cameroon midfielder Alex Song was sent off before halftime for a needless elbow in the back of Croatia's Mario Mandzukic near the halfway line, leaving his side to battle with 10 men for the majority of the game. The game was also marred by an incident near the end when Benoit

Assou-Ekotto attempted to head-butt team mate Benjamin Moukandjo.

Cameroon's federation subsequently launched an investigation into the incident but has yet to give any update on possible disciplinary action.

The latest controversy adds to a long list for African teams at the World Cup. Both Ghana and Nigeria, now out of the tournament, were embroiled in disputes over money in Brazil. Ghana had two players sent home, Sulley Muntari for hitting an official and Kevin-Prince Boateng for allegedly swearing at the coach.

Kaka rescinds contract with AC Milan

MILAN, JULY 1 (AP): AC Milan midfielder Kaka officially left the Serie A club on Monday to join Orlando City Soccer Club.

A statement on the Milan website said it had come to a "mutual agreement (with Kaka) to end the Brazil star's contract but there is no doubt that the mutual feeling of love and respect will always be there." Kaka flew to the United States on Monday night to sign with his new club. Upon arriving at the terminal at Orlando's airport, he was greeted by about 200 Orlando City fans who pounded drums, and mobbed him for pictures and autographs.

He will be formally introduced by the team on Tuesday afternoon.

The 32-year-old player is expected to return on loan to his first club, Sao Paulo, before joining Orlando City SC in January 2015 for its first MLS season. Kaka scored 104 goals in 307 appearances during his two spells at Milan, interrupted by a four-year stint at Real Madrid. Kaka, the World Player of the Year

Kaka. (AP File Photo)

in 2007, helped Milan to the Champions league title and Serie A success before joining Real Madrid in 2009. He also helped Brazil win the World Cup in 2002.

"I will always be a Milan fan, my heartfelt thanks to everyone," Kaka said. "I hope to send soon messages to (Milan vice-president Adriano) Galliani that I have sent in the past: we are the champions of Italy, we are the champions of Europe.

"It has been a difficult year for all Milan fans, but for me to come back to Milan, to reach the total of more than 100 goals was important: it was something that I couldn't not do, to extend my history with this club."

Kaka will fly to the United States from Brazil on Monday night to sign for Orlando's new Major League Soccer franchise.

Kaka will return on loan to his first club, Sao Paulo, be-

fore joining Orlando City SC in January 2015 prior to its first MLS season.

Kaka, who was named World Player of the Year in 2007, helped Milan to the Champions league title and Serie A success in his first six-year spell at the club before joining Real Madrid in 2009. His return to the club was less successful and was blighted by an immediate injury layoff, during which he renounced his salary.

Milan finished eighth, failing to qualify for Europe for the first time in 16 years.

"My choice isn't linked to the fact Milan isn't playing in the Champions League, it's something else," Kaka said.

"I won't anymore wear the number 22, I want to also leave this symbol to the Milan fans. I think I will wear the number eight in Brazil and the 10 in America. "I took this holiday to think about things, I always said I wanted to play in America one day and now I have reached an agreement to play there. Now I will go on loan to Sao Paolo and then I will start my adventure in America."

WELLINGTON, JULY 1 (AP): Former New Zealand batsman Lou Vincent has received a life ban from cricket after dramatically admitting on Tuesday to fixing matches in several countries. Vincent came clean by issuing a video statement which begins: "My name is Lou Vincent and I am a cheat."

His admission pre-empted an announcement later in the day from the England and Wales Cricket Board, confirming Vincent had been banned for life following an investigation that crossed several countries and many different competitions.

He pleaded guilty to 18 match-fixing or spot-sixing charges involving matches he played for English counties Lancashire in 2008 and Durham in 2011. Eleven of the 18 offences carried life bans. "I have abused my position as a professional sportsman on a number of occasions by choosing to accept money through fixing," Vincent said. "I have shamed my country. I have shamed my sport. I have shamed those close to me. For that I am not proud."

Vincent admitted involvement in fixing in 12 separate competitions across five countries, including in English county cricket, the Indian Cricket League and the 2012 Champions Trophy. He has previously been banned for three years by Bangladesh for not reporting an approach to fix matches while playing in that country's Twenty20 league.

The 35-year-old Vincent, who played 23 tests, said his actions had "rightly caused uproar and controversy in

Barak FC conducts football clinic DIMAPUR, JULY 1 (MExN): Barak Football Club Peren kicked off its football clinic at Government Hr. Sec. School ground, Jalukie on June 30. The clinic is being conducted under the supervision of Coach Brando, Technical Director Daniel Rongmei and Peren District Coordinator Kemapielungbe. The clinic is a five day awareness camp for the youth of Peren district.

SAI lifts TaekwonDo C'ship 2014 DIMAPUR, JULY 1 (MExN): The 13th Dimapur District Taekwon-Do Championship 2014 was held at State badminton In-door Stadium, Dimapur on June 27. Altogether 104 players from eight school and clubs of Dimapur competed in Sub-Junior, cadet, Junior and Senior Categories. Sports Authority of India (SAI) Dimapur bagged the team championship for 2014.

New Zealand and around the world."

"I lost faith in myself and the game," he said. "I abused the game I love. I had to put things right. Speaking out. Exposing the truth. Laying bare the things I have done wrong is the only way I can find to begin to put things right. "The time has come for me to now face them like a man and accept the consequences, whatever they may be." Vincent's confessions to the ICC led many to believe he had agreed a plea bargain but he insisted he sought no favors and accepted the life ban. "It is entirely my fault that I will never be able to stand in front of a game again," he said. "It is entirely my fault that I will not be able to apply my skills in a positive way to help future cricketers." "Today is the day I offer my deepest apologies to the public and the cricketing world, to the loyal fans, to the dedicated coaches, staff

and all players past and present."

ECB chief executive David Collier said it was a complex case that required collaboration between English cricket's anti-corruption unit, domestic boards in other nations and the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit. "We are extremely pleased that the matter has now been brought to a satisfactory conclusion and that an individual who repeatedly sought to involve others in corrupt activity for his own personal gain has accepted that his conduct warrants a lifetime ban from cricket," Collier said.

"It once again highlights our resolve to keep cricket clean and rid the game of the tiny minority who seek to undermine the sport's integrity. " Vincent thanked ICC officers "for their support" and urged others to come forward. "It is entirely possible that I can use this moment to convince others not to be tempted by wrongdoing. To do the right thing for themselves, for their families and friends, and for the sport they love."

Vincent said he had suffered from depression but that did not excuse his actions, and players must be a bulwark against corruption. "I used to think mistakes were the actions of bad people. I now know even good people can make the worst of mistakes," he said. "My actions, I will regret for the rest of my life. "For sport to prosper, it is up to the players to police the game, because they are the ones that will ultimately lose out if they allow themselves to be used as pawns to make money."

New Zealand beat West Indies for series win

BRIDGETOWN, JULY 1 (AFP): New Zealand`s perseverance with their frontline bowlers paid off eventually as the visitors completed a 53-run victory over the West Indies in the last hour of the third and final Test match at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Monday.

Despite being held up by a 77-run eighth-wicket partnership between debutant Jason Holder and Shane Shillingford, the Black Caps finished off the job with Trent Boult, who did the early damage in the morning, returning with the second new ball to trap last man Jerome Taylor leg-before and dismiss the home side for 254.

Boult, fellow-seamer Tim Southee and off-spinner Mark Craig took three wickets each to lead the New Zealand effort which gave them the match and the series 2-1, only their second Test win at Kensington Oval and second Test series triumph in the Caribbean. "We`re really thrilled with pulling off this series win," said New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum at the end of the match. "It was tough cricket all the way through so we`ll

enjoy this moment." New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson, who scored 161 not out in the second innings, took the honours as "Man of the Match" and "Man of the Series".

Holder, who topscored with 52, and Shillingford (30 not out), gave the West Indies a slim hope of saving the match as they defied the opposition for almost two hours in a 77-run stand. Before their intervention, all seemed set for a swift finish when the regional side slumped to 144 for seven just before tea.

Any hopes the West Indies harboured of an improbable victory had disappeared in the afternoon with the demise of Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Darren Bravo, the two key middleorder batsmen who resumed after the lunch interval with the responsibility resting on their shoulders of leading the home side out of the early trouble.

Craig had Chanderpaul stumped for 25, the first time in his 20-year Test career, comprising 156 matches and 266 innings, that he had been stumped.

Bravo got to 40 put departed in exactly the same manner of his first innings dismissal, slicing a drive to Kane Williamson at gully.

In the first innings, the successful bowler was Neil Wagner. This time though Southee was the celebrating bowler. He had also removed West Indies captain Denesh Ramdin, who got to 29 before edging a catch to Ross Taylor at first slip.

"One of the major problems for us in this match was the inability to knock over the New Zealand lower-order," said Ramdin. "In the batting department, those who got starts for us could have pushed on, but it didn`t happen." McCullum`s declaration just before the start of play, setting the West Indies 308 to win, lay down the challenge to his bowlers to deliver victory and they responded almost immediately. Boult struck the first two blows. Kraigg Braithwaite misjudged the line of an inswinging delivery and had his off-stump knocked back, while new batsman Kirk Edwards lived a charmed life before edging into the safe hands of Taylor at first slip.

Oscar Pistorius 'obsessed with security'

SOUTh AFRIcA, JULY 1 (AGENcIES): The agent and manager of Oscar Pistorius has described him as a man obsessed with security who had a loving relationship with his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Petrus van Zyl, who had been called by the athlete's defence, was the 35th witness to appear at the trial that started on March 3.

The 27-year-old double-amputee Olympic sprinter is charged with murdering Steenkamp, 29, by shooting her through the bathroom door in his Pretoria home in February last year. The athlete says he mistook the model for a burglar. Van Zyl backed Pistorius' claims of having been obsessed with crime, telling the court on Tuesday Pistorius drove fast to the airport to make sure he was not followed, parked in an open space with easy access and worried constantly about doors being closed and watchdogs being around when he was at home. The athlete also kept the doors of his hotel rooms latched and took restaurant tables with a view to the exit.

Van Zyl denied other witnesses' testimonies of Pistorius' explosive temper, saying he had only seen the athlete get angry twice, when facing aggressive

Oscar Pistorius (File Photo)

questioning by journalists.

Pistorius and Steenkamp had a 'loving and caring' relationship and called each other pet names, the agent said. Van Zyl said Pistorius was also excited about a plan to take Steenkamp to a concert in Italy, a detail that prompted the athlete to put his hand over his eyes during his evidence. Earlier on Monday, the court heard from an acoustics expert on whether neighbours could have heard his model girlfriend screaming on the night he allegedly shot her dead.

Prosecutors are trying to prove that Steenkamp did scream and that this showed the star athlete

known as the 'Blade Runner' knowingly gunned her down in a fit of anger after a row in the early hours of Valentine's Day last year.

The defence claims Pistorius shot Ms Steenkamp four times through the locked door after mistaking her for an intruder and that any screams came from the double-amputee sprinter himself. State prosecutor Gerrie Nel attempted to show that tests conducted by engineer and acoustics expert Ivan Lin backed up the premeditated murder charge, arguing that neighbours who lived 177 metres from Pistorius could have been able to differentiate between a male and a fe-

male screaming.

Nel submitted Lin to a technical cross-examination a day after a panel of mental health experts said the 27-year-old Pistorius did not suffer from a mental disorder when he shot Steenkamp and could be held 'criminally responsible' for his actions. Lin said that at 177 metres away 'it is very unlikely a listener can hear a scream let alone interpret the sound source reliably'.

However, Nel insisted that Lin failed to do his sound estimates properly, saying he did not take into account factors that would have made it possible for the neighbours to clearly hear Steenkamp.

C M Y K

Dolly Parton claims her voice is “not fake” Dolly Parton claims her boobs and her hair are fake but her voice isn't and she denies miming at Glastonbury festival.

C M Y K

11 C M Y K

‘working illegally in britain’

ly also slammed the comments about her miming.

They told The Sun ''It's ridiculous to suggest Dolly was miming. She's been performing for more than 60 years - she doesn't need to. ''This should not overshadow what was truly a great gig and accomplished performance. Dolly adored every single moment.''

Meanwhile, Dolly - who performed her energetic set in front of more than 200,000 adoring fans clad in a white suit covered in rhinestones - had received a surprise award prior to her set. She was presented with a congratulatory plaque by Glastonbury organiser Michael Eavis and her manager Danny Nozell in honor of selling 100 million albums worldwide.

ability to pay for her stay.

A source at the Home Office said: ‘An allegation has been received and processed and has been allocated for further action.’ Watson, worth £30million, has been living in the States where she recently obtained an English literature degree from Brown University in Rhode Island. But she is currently believed to be in London to attend David Cameron’s ‘Cool Britannia’ party in Downing Street tonight.

Mr Cameron’s former immigration minister Mark Harper resigned earlier this year when it emerged his Colombian cleaner was in the country unlawfully. Records showed the cleaner received at least £2,000 from Mr Harper’s Westminster expenses before second home allowances were tightened up.

And in 2009, it emerged how Labour’s Attorney General Baroness Scotland had employed her Tongan housekeeper in breach of the rules – which her own department had drawn up. Baroness Scotland was fined £5,000 because she had failed to keep copies of her housekeeper’s papers.

Employers can avoid being prosecuted or fined a civil penalty if they can show they did everything possible to check the immigration status of a worker. Watson, who starred in all the Harry Potter films from the age of nine, graduated last month from elite Brown University. She made headlines after it emerged the ‘friend’ who accompanied her at the ceremony was actually an armed guard, carrying a gun beneath her gown.

The high-security was a marked contrast with her stated aim of having a ‘normal’ experience as a student at the prestigious US college. Watson, who is dating rugbyplaying Oxford student Matthew Janney, has often sought to play down her celebrity status. Last night the Home Office declined to say anything, and Watson’s spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.

I fox cancels ancient egypt drama Hieroglyph BefoRe it has even aired

Olivia Munn works out to fight OCD Olivia Munn finds daily 6am sessions with a personal trainer helps her keep obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) at bay.

t has fared even worse than Mark Antony and Cleopatra during the Final War Of The Roman Republic. For Fox has cancelled its epic ancient Egypt drama Hieroglyph before it even had the chance to air.

Writers who had been feverishly working on scripts ahead of the show's grand fall debut were told the unpleasant news on Monday.

According to Entertainment Weekly, network bosses decided to chop the show due to 'creative differences.'

More intriguingly however, its cancellation comes hot on the heels of its champion Kevin Reilly announcing he is stepping down as the net-

he 'Deliver Us From Evil' actress finds the daily sessions with a personal trainer help ease the symptoms of the anxiety disorder - which sees sufferers experience obsessive thoughts and often indulge in repetitive behaviours - though she is unsure how they keep her calm. She said ''To combat my OCD, a trainer helps me work out every day 6 a.m. I don't know what he does, but it helps. We talked over the weekend.''

The 33-year-old actress also admitted she never brushes her hair and isn't faithful to using any particular product on it. She said ''I'm Chinese so I have thick hair, which I don't brush, and use different products. I love vintage shopping.'' And despite her slender frame, Olivia insists she never diets and is always happy to indulge in her favourite foods. She said ''I don't diet. I eat plenty. Lunch was chicken marsala, miso soup, spare ribs. I send up Korean and Indian room service.''

The actress will next be seen in supernatural thriller 'Deliver Us From Evil', which is based on a true story and she found it helpful having the person her character is based on on set with her. She told the New York Post newspaper's Page Six column ''The film's based on a true New York story. I play the real cop's supportive wife. They're now divorced. But she was on set with me and led me through how it all was.''

work's chairman.

Seen as an attempt to cash in on the popularity of Game Of Thrones, it was created by Pacific Rim's Travis Beacham, and was to feature a strong cast sprinkled with big name stars.

These included Beauty And The Beast's Max Brown, Lord Of The Rings favourite John Rhys-Davies, as well as Reece Ritchie and Condola Rashad.

The show was to follow a slippery thief, played by Max, who is rather surprisingly plucked from prison to serve the Pharaoh. According to the show's description he would 'navigate palace intrigue, seductive

Henry Cavill tweets Clark Kent’s first look H

enry Cavill treated fans to the first look of Clark Kent, the mild-mannered alter-ego of Superman, from the upcoming ‘Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice’ for a charitable cause. The official account of the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund posted an image of Cavill holding up a shirt supporting the cause, while standing next to a chair with the name ‘Clark’.

Cavill’s Kent was dressed in a smart trench coat, suit but his trademark glasses were missing. Cavill is supporting is a 6656km marathon Royal Marine Commandos are undertaking this year to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the organization and to raise money. ‘Batman V Superman’, directed by Zack Snyder, is currently in production with a release date set for May 6, 2016.

T

C M Y K

Dimapur

faces probe over maid

T

T

2 July 2014

Emma Watson hey could call it Harry Potter and the Mystery of the American Housekeeper. The Home Office is probing whether actress Emma Watson’s maid has been working illegally at the star’s £2m north London home. Officials are looking into claims that the housekeeper only had a tourist visa, which would bar her as a foreigner from working here.

The woman was stopped by UK immigration staff who questioned how she could pay for her stay here, it was claimed. Employers who breach the rules by hiring foreign staff illegally can face a fine of up to £10,000.

Watson, 24, who played Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, first started using the maid’s services in her New York apartment last year.

But the woman allegedly made trips to London and was paid to help out at the star’s three-storey Georgian terraced house in Islington, it was claimed. Between September last year and February this year, she is said to have spent a total of three months in the UK. It was on one of her trips to London that UK Border Agency staff allegedly questioned her about her

he 68-year-old singer has spoken out after claims she mimed during her Glastonbury performance on Sunday night (29.06.14) and insists she did sing live at the event at Worthy Farm in South East England. She told The Sun newspaper ''My boobs are fake, my hair's fake but what is real is my voice and my heart.''

Newsreader Kay Burley took to Twitter after Dolly's set to suggest the '9 to 5' singer was miming.

She tweeted ''Oh, Dolly is miming. How disappointing.'' The comment was retweeted hundreds of times and fans including comedian Stephen Fry jumped to her defence, claiming it was a ''HD live processor issue''. A spokesman for Dol-

Wednesday

Entertainment

The Morung Express

concubines, criminal underbellies and divine sorcerers, as he races to stop the downfall of one of history’s greatest civilizations.'

The decision is particularly surprising, as it was ordered straight to series back in October rather than going through the pilot process. It is rare for a costly drama series to be cancelled at such a late stage of its development, though NBC's 2010 post-apocalyptic sci-fi show Day One never made it to the small screen either. However it could yet be saved from its early tomb, with fans hoping it could be resurrected on another station.

Another come back for

Preity Zinta

C M Y K

A

ctress-businesswoman Preity Zinta, who is currently entangled in a legal battle with her former fiancé Ness Wadia, is getting ready to make a comeback on screen with Neeraj Pathak's Bhaiyyaji Superhitt. She plays a ferocious bandit in the movie.

The film features Sunny Deol in the lead as a gangster from Uttar Pradesh.

According to Neeraj, Preity pulled the character off with ease. "Preity plays a Uttar Pradeshwali. Her character is a gangster's daughter and a no-nonsense UP gangster herself who is also Sunny Deol's wife," he added.

Apparently Preity's transformation into a foulmouthed rustic bandit was so convincing that Sunny wants to cast her as Sohni's Punjabi mother in the remake of Sohni Mahiwal, a film that the actor reportedly wants to do with his son in the lead.

Neeraj said: "Preity's interpretation of the firebrand wife's character is bang-on. She will not be seen as an actor suited only for urbane sophisticated roles after Bhaiyyaji Superhitt. "We've 12 days' shooting left. We will complete the shooting post-monsoon," said the director.

In the past Preity had worked with both Sunny and Bobby in The Hero: Love Story Of A Spy and Soldier.Soldier, which was also her first release in a leading role, was a major hit.

Lucy Liu behind camera for film on human trafficking in India

A

fter years of dazzling audiences with her on-screen appearances, American actress Lucy Liu has transitioned into film-making. But unlike most actors who choose a commercial route for their directorial debut, Liu's is a short, 20-minute film on human trafficking in India.

Based on a chapter from Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's book, Half the Sky, Meena is the true story of a young girl who was rescued from a life of sexual slavery in Bihar. Meena Haseena was eight years old when she was kidnapped by her uncle and sold to a brothel. For 12 years, over

which she also gave birth to two children, Meena was forced to live a life of severe mental and sexual abuse.

She managed to escape, but was unable to take her children along with her.

Meena is about this brave woman, and how she rescued her daughter Naina (also forced into prostitution) from the same brothel with the help of an NGO. The film, which can be viewed online at meenathemovie.com, was premiered in New York recently.

Cast members Carla Gugino and Jon Michael Hill attended the screening of the film, which was followed by a panel discus-

sion on violence against children. The discussion, which featured Kristof, his wife Sheryl and Susan Bissell of UNICEF, was co-hosted by Liu and spiritual guru Deepak Chopra. Ruchira Gupta, the founder of the NGO Apne Aap Women Worldwide who was instrumental in rescuing Naina, made a special appearance at the panel discussion.

I was deeply moved to see the range of people standing by Apne Aap's anti-trafficking work at the premiere of Meena in New York. Kristof mentioned how Naina, Meena's daughter, was the first rescue (carried out) in broad daylight

by any NGO in Bihar. Now, with the help of this movie perhaps, more Meenas and Nainas will be rescued, says Gupta, who adds that it was weird to see someone acting as her on screen.

As for those on whom the film is based, their lives have changed for the better.

Meena has bought a plot of land and built her home outside the red-light area.

Naina can now read and write. She is an occasional blogger and videographer, and is married with a oneyear-old son, Gupta says.

Meena's two younger daughters were saved from being trafficked by Apne Aap, sent to school

and are now in college in Patna. Change is possible and does happen. Meena, which was filmed in Mumbai, is the third collaboration focusing on human trafficking issues by Liu, directingwriting duo the Sibs and producer Kerry Girvin.

C M Y K

C

C

M

M

Y

Y

K

K

Sharapova dumped out Federer beats Robredo to set up all-Swiss quarter-final

Di Maria takes Argentina to quarterfinals Argentina beat Switzerland 1-0 after extra time

SAo PAuLo, JuLy 1 (AP): Angel Di Maria scored in the 118th minute Tuesday to give Argentina a 1-0 win over Switzerland and a spot in the World Cup quarterfinals. With a penalty shootout looming, Lionel Messi made a surging run toward the Swiss area and laid the ball off to Di Maria on the right, and the winger sent a left-foot shot past diving goalkeeper Diego Benaglio. Blerim Dzemaili nearly equalized right before the end but his header hit the post, and the rebound bounced off his knee and just wide of the goal.

Benaglio had previously kept Switzerland in the game when got a hand on Di Maria's shot in 109th minute. Argentina and Switzerland headed to extra time after being tied 0-0 at the end of the 90 minutes. With Switzerland playing five midfielders against Argentina's three, the Albicelestes struggled to reach the final third before the break.

Argentina did take control of the match in the second half and dominated possession.

Argentina will play the winner of Belgium and the United States.

Argentina's Angel di Maria, right, and Lionel Messi celebrate after di Maria scored during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Argentina and Switzerland at the Itaquerao Stadium in Sao Paulo, Tuesday, July 1. (AP Photo)

Lallana joins Liverpool; Costa completes Chelsea move

C M Y K

London, JuLy 1 (AGEnCIES): Liverpool signed England midfielder Adam Lallana from Southampton on a long-term deal on Tuesday, reuniting the 26-year-old with his former club mate Rickie Lambert at Anfield.

No transfer fee was announced but British media estimated Liverpool paid around 25 million pounds ($42.54 million) for Lallana. "I'm over the moon for it to be sorted," Lallana told the club website (www.liverpoolfc.com) after passing a medical at Melwood.

The captain's departure is a further blow to Southampton, who lost England defender Luke Shaw to Manchester United on Friday for a reported 30 million pounds and manager Mauricio Pochettino to Tottenham Hotspur in May. "Lambert is up here already and he has been telling me all about it. It's great that I can continue my career with him as well," Lallana said.

Chelsea meanwhile released a statement confirming that they have reached an agreement to sign Diego Costa from Athletico Madrid. The Spain international had long been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge and now the Blues have confirmed they have met the buy-out clause for the 25-year-old striker, understood to be £32 million ($54.56m).

“Chelsea Football Club can confirm an agreement has been reached with Atlético Madrid for the transfer of Diego Costa, with Chelsea meeting the buy-out clause for the Spanish international,” read a statement on the club’s official website. Also on Tuesday, Chelsea announced a one-year contract extension for Australia goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, who arrived on a free transfer from Fulham last summer.

Diego Costa

Adam Lallana

London, JuLy 1 (AP): Five-time major champion Maria Sharapova bowed out in the fourth round at Wimbledon on Tuesday, losing 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-4 to Angelique Kerber of Germany. Sharapova, the 2004 Wimbledon champion, had lost only seven games in her three previous matches at the All England Club this year. She saved six match points against Kerber, but on the seventh sent a backhand long. The Russian made 49 unforced errors to Kerber's 11.

Sharapova, who won the French Open last month, lost in the second round at Wimbledon last year. The ninth-seeded Kerber reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 2012. Meanwhile, Roger Federer kept up his bid for a record eighth Wimbledon title by beating Tommy Robredo in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals at the All England Club for the 12th time.

The fourth-seeded Federer, who has not dropped a set in the entire tournament, overwhelmed the Spaniard 6-1, 6-1, 6-4 in just over 90 minutes on No. 1 Court. He hit 11 aces, faced only one break point -- in the final game of the match -- and broke four times in a performance that showed he remains a real contender at the age of 32. "It's really nice the way I'm playing," Federer said. "I'm serving well, moving well, returning all right, so all the things are happening that need to be happening to go deep in this tournament again."

Federer received a standing ovation after closing out the match with a serve-and-volley point, hitting a backhand volley that Robredo couldn't handle. The win avenged Federer's straight-set loss to Robredo in their last meeting in the fourth round of the U.S. Open. Apart from that defeat, Federer has won all of his 11 matches against the Spaniard. Federer has lost only 32 games in four matches at the All England Club, the same number as defending champion Andy Murray. "Clearly I'm very pleased with the first week, and here we go now into the quarters," Federer said. "It's always really exciting being so deep into a tournament and feeling you are closer to the finish line.

"I've played a lot of matches so things are exactly where I want them to be, but then again you're sort of only in the quarterfinals and that's when the tournament kind of really starts." Federer's win set up an all-Swiss duel with Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka, who beat Feliciano Lopez 7-6 (5), 7-6 (7), 6-3 to make it to the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time. Federer holds a 13-2 record against Wawrinka, though Wawrinka won their last encounter in the Monte Carlo final in April.

In women's play, French Open runner-up Simona Halep breezed into the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan. The third-seeded Romanian needed just 57 minutes to beat the 72nd-ranked Diyas, who was playing at Wimbledon for the first time.

Her next opponent will be 2013 finalist Sabine Lisicki of Germany, who overcame shoulder trouble to defeat Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in two hours. Halep is the second Romanian woman to reach the quarterfinals at the All England Club, joining Virginia Ruzici, who made it to the final eight in 1978 and 1981. Ruzici is now Halep's manager.

The 19th-seeded Lisicki took an injury timeout while facing break point at 1-1 in the second set and was treated by a trainer on her right shoulder. After returning to the court, Lisicki saved the break point and held serve, then broke in the next game for a 3-1 lead. She was broken by the 72nd-ranked Shvedova while serving for the match at 5-3, but broke again in the next game to close it out. An emotional Lisicki celebrated by falling to her knees at the baseline and resting her forehead on the grass.

Maria Sharapova of Russia celebrates winning a point against Angelique Kerber of Germany during their women's singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Tuesday, July 1. (AP Photo)

C M Y K

Published, Printed and Edited by Aküm Longchari on behalf of Morung for Indigenous Affairs and JustPeace from House No. 4, Duncan Bosti, Dimapur at Themba Printers and Telecommunications, Padum Pukhuri Village, Dimapur, Nagaland.

RNI No : NAGENG /2005/15430. House No.4, Duncan Bosti, Dimapur 797112, Nagaland. Phone: Dimapur -(03862) 248854, Fax: (03862) 235194, Kohima - (0370) 2291952

For news email: morung@gmail.com and for advertisements and circulation contact: (03862) 248854, Fax-235194 or email : morungad@yahoo.com

PO Reg No. NE/RN-722